Northwestern University hazing scandal: First lawsuit filed by a female athlete

The volleyball player Jane Doe said she was physically harmed to the point of requiring medical attention during a hazing incident in early 2021.

The lawsuit said Jane Doe contracted COVID-19 in February of that year, despite following the team’s COVID guidelines. Despite this, she said, Northwestern volleyball coach Shane Davis and an assistant coach informed her she would need to undergo a “punishment” for violating the guidelines. A day later, on March 2, 2021, the coaches permitted the volleyball team’s captains to pick the punishment: She was forced to run “suicides” in the gym while diving to the floor each time she reached a line on the court.

The suit said as she did this the volleyball coaching staff, team members and trainers watched.

According to the lawsuit, campus police were made aware of the incident, as was the athletic department.

Doe said she was isolated from the team and Davis forced her to write an apology letter to trainers.

The lawsuit also said the player met with athletic director Derrick Gragg to discuss the culture of the volleyball program but he “did nothing in response” to her concerns.

The scandal at the Big Ten school centers on a problem that extends far beyond sports.

Football coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired after a university investigation found allegations of hazing by 11 current or former players, including “forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature,” school president Michael Schill said. 

One previous lawsuit accuses Fitzgerald of enabling a culture of racism, including forcing players of color to cut their hair and behave differently to be more in line with the “Wildcat Way.”

(With inputs from AP)

Updated: 24 Jul 2023, 09:31 PM IST