Four new lawsuits were filed against Northwestern on Thursday related to allegations of hazing and mistreatment, and two of them named Mark Murphy, the current President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers, who previously served as Northwestern’s athletic director from 2003-2007, according to ESPN.
The two former players, who attended Northwestern from 2004-2008, filed the lawsuits under the pseudonym “John Doe.” In addition to Murphy, the two lawsuits also named former head football coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was the program’s head coach from 2006-2022, former school president Henry Bienen (1995-2009), and the university’s board of trustees.
According to ESPN, the two new lawsuits describe incidents of sexual abuse and racial discrimination, and allege that Fitzgerald was aware of and supported this behavior towards the young and impressionable men. Both former players also claim that they were subjected to a hazing ritual called “running,” which involved being pinned down and dry-humped by older teammates during preseason training in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in 2004. Northwestern terminated Fitzgerald’s contract on July 10 after coaching the team for 17 seasons. He denies any knowledge of hazing taking place within his football program.
Mark Murphy and the Packers declined to comment on Thursday, according to ESPN.
The number of lawsuits against the university continues to grow, with 13 former Northwestern football players now suing the school following Fitzgerald’s dismissal.
