No matter if you love or hate what Michigan football has become this season, or if the drama surrounding them has made you forget about Mel Tucker and Michigan State, we can all agree that they’ve both been the common denominator of their own drama. But that doesn’t mean they have been the only thorn in the side of the Big Ten.
Misery loves company and let’s not forget that Northwestern threw this party.
The Wildcats’ 23-15 win over Purdue on Saturday means they will be in a bowl game to finish the most tumultuous season in Northwestern history. They will also do so with David Braun at the helm, as the interim coach has become permanent.
“Upon his arrival at Northwestern, I quickly realized that Coach Braun embodies the values of our athletic department: respect, integrity, service and excellence,” Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg said in a statement.. “It was the right decision to name him interim leader and I congratulate Coach Braun on being named head coach of our football program. He has earned this position. Coach Braun has rallied the team in very adverse circumstances. He has earned the respect of student-athletes, staff, parents, alumni and our fans.
I don’t think Gragg understands what “adverse circumstances” means. Because like Michigan and Michigan State, Northwestern did this to itself.
Before anyone knew who Connor Stallions was, before Jim Harbaugh was suspended, before Sherrone Moore cried on TVand long before Michigan State put Adolf Hitler on video boardthe world of college football was focused on Pat Fitzgerald and Evanston, ill.
Fitzgerald was fired earlier this season “following a hazing and abuse scandal that engulfed the athletic department.” reported the Associated Press. Depending on who you believe, Fitzgerald either knew nothing or encouraged the actions as an alumnus and former star of the team. There was player reports has Northwestern attacks whistleblower and members of student newspaper personnel who revealed this story, as former players took to social media to support Fitzgerald. There have been allegations regarding cheerleader And baseball the teams too.
“I have been very clear that at Northwestern, the well-being of our students comes first.” said Northwestern President Michael Schill about the decision to hire Braun. “Only by prioritizing the health, safety and well-being of our students can we enable excellence on the field, excellence in the classroom, can we encourage personal growth and intellectual that is fundamental to our mission as one of the greatest universities in the world. Anyone who has heard or spoken with Coach Braun knows that he exemplified these principles shortly after arriving at Northwestern.
Although Braun is new to Evanston after being hired in the offseason, he inherited Fitzgerald’s program, while the the school decided to keep the staff in place after the dismissal. This is an important fact to remember because some of these survivors wore “Cats Against the World” shirts — featuring Fitzgerald’s No. 51 from his playing days — as they tried to make him a victim the same way Michigan did with Harbaugh.
So as we enter the final weekend of the regular season, the nation’s attention will be primarily focused on what’s going to happen to Michigan and how its situation develops. But aside from the events in Ann Arbor, Tucker’s firing in East Lansing, and an alleged conference-wide sign-stealing scandal that hung over the Big Ten like a cloud, let’s not forget that the bad weather started with a tornado coming from the northern suburbs of Chicago.