Northwestern University followed up the firing of its football coach with the dismissal of its baseball coach.
Just days after cutting football coach Pat Fitzpatrick loose amid a hazing scandal, as previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Big Ten school in Evanston, Illinois, dumped baseball coach Jim Foster for alleged bullying of his players and assistant coaches.
“Nothing will ever be more important to Northwestern than providing its students a place that allows them to develop in the classroom, in the community, and in competition at the absolute highest level, and building a culture which allows our staff to thrive,” athletic director Derrick Gragg said in a statement.
“This has been an ongoing situation, and many factors were considered before reaching this resolution. As the Director of Athletics, I take ownership of our head coaching hires and we will share our next steps as they unfold.”
Foster disputed the charges on a Chicago radio show, which reported earlier that Northwestern had a “toxic program.”
“Coaches complain. Maybe they wanted the job,” Foster said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Maybe the players aren’t good enough and are just making excuses or are disgruntled. Maybe it’s how they’re raised. It could be any of that stuff.”
Foster was hired at Northwestern in 2022 after spending four years for Army at West Point. He was Patriot League coach of the year in 2022 and had led the Black Knights to four straight NCAA tournament appearances.
Former Chicago White Sox outfielder Brian Anderson will take over the baseball program on an interim basis. Anderson, 41, was selected by the White Sox in the first round of the 2003 MLB Draft. He played five seasons, winning the World Series with the White Sox in 2005.
The Chicago Tribune reported on July 10 that players complained about Foster’s program going back to 2022.
Fitzgerald, meanwhile, was fired after 11 current or former players alleged hazing, including “forced participation, nudity, and sexualized acts of a degrading nature,” Northwestern President Michael Schill wrote in an email to Northwestern supporters.
Fitzgerald denied knowledge of the incidents, but Schill concluded he should have known.