As the fallout continues from a hazing investigation that led to the firing of football coach Pat Fitzgerald, two 2024 recruits have decommitted from the school on Tuesday.
According to social media, Greenville, South Carolina offensive lineman Julius Tate was the first to decommit from the school on Tuesday:
“I will reassess my collegiate decision, and hurts to say I will be decommitting from Northwestern University,” he said.
A short time later, Payton Stewart, an offensive tackle from Kelso High School in Washington, followed suit.
“After talking with my parents and coaches about the news that has broke, I have reconsidered my decision and decided to decommit from Northwestern,” he said.
The decisions come amid the ongoing fallout from the hazing investigation at the school, which ultimately led to the firing of Fitzgerald amid increasing scrutiny of the program.
Nearly a dozen current and former players corroborated allegations of hazing and sexual abuse within the football program, and even though an investigation found insufficient evidence to prove that Fitzgerald knew about the hazing, he was found to have had “significant opportunity” to learn of the incidents.
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