CHICAGO — The hazing scandal at Northwestern University has widened to include a volleyball player who on Monday became the first female athlete to sue the university over allegations she was retaliated against for reporting mistreatment and a new lawsuit by former Northwestern quarterback Lloyd Yates.
“This shows that it isn’t just men,” said Parker Stinar, one of her attorneys. “It isn’t just football players.”
The private school in Evanston, Illinois, is facing multiple lawsuits, including the one on behalf of Yates, which alleges hazing by teammates that includes sexual abuse. The 52-page complaint also says coaches made racially charged comments to players of color.
“This is the first in a series of lawsuits,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump, adding he plans on filing more than 30 over the coming weeks involving athletes from “a variety of athletic programs and even mascots.”
He said it’s “too early to tell” if the cases will be combined into a class-action lawsuit. “We’re still trying to look at different legal aspects,” he said.
The scandal at the Big Ten school centers on a problem that seems to extend far beyond sports, even if it is sports that often gets the headlines.
While major college sports have become multimillion-dollar programs, ritualistic hazing appears to remain a problematic tradition within them.
Speaking at a Monday news conference, Crump said Yates’ case is the first with a named plaintiff and includes comments from other named players.
“It’s a real big deal when these young people have the courage to take a stand and refuse to be victims anymore, refuse to have their voices silenced,” Crump said.
Crump called this college sports’ “Me Too” moment.
“I want justice for all the victims of this horrific hazing,” Yates said. “I want closure for myself and hundreds of other Northwestern football players who suffered in silence. Too often, many of us have blamed ourselves for things that were beyond our control. Lastly, I want protection for future players.”
Former 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.
The volleyball player, identified in Monday’s lawsuit as Jane Doe, says she was physically harmed to the point of requiring medical attention during a hazing incident in early 2021.
According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe contracted COVID-19 in February of that year, despite following the team’s COVID guidelines. Despite this, she says, 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. As she did this, the suit says, volleyball coaching staff, team members and trainers watched.