More allegations of hazing and racist treatment against the Northwestern football program was revealed Friday as two former Wildcats players, Noah Herron and Rico Lamitte, alleged that they and their black teammates were mistreated beginning in the early 2000s. press conference in Chicago before Northwestern’s football game at Wrigley Field on Saturday, Herron and Lemitte, who went by the name Rico Tarver at school, said the toxic product and racist culture was a mainstay during their time in Evanston at the turn of the century.
Herron, a second-team All-Big Ten Conference running back, said that in the run-up to the 2005 Alamo Bowl, the punishment meted out to a few black teammates was so severe that it forced a player to defecate himself and members of the team. called it a “Christmas massacre.” Herron said the coaches who administered the punishment were told that if the players were able to leave the field after that, the coaches themselves would be fired. (The player who soiled himself needed help getting off the field, according to Herron.)
Lamitte and Herron said black players were required to cut their hair if it came out of their helmets, although their white counterparts were not held to the same standards. They alleged that coaches used the “Wildcat Way” as a catch-all to force black players to adopt white standards.
“NU didn’t view me or my teammates as humans, students, or student-athletes. We were not celebrated or appreciated for our color or culture. We were forced and threatened to conform to the ‘Wildcat Way,’” said Lamitte, who played wide receiver and safety at NU.
“For me, today, it’s a question of responsibility. Northwestern put profits before people and used us for our athletic talents. All athletes – whether at Northwestern or any other collegiate university or in professional sports – should always feel comfortable, safe and confident in their skin, regardless of their color.
The Wildcat Way also reportedly extended to Camp Kenosha, where Lamitte said the team held an annual watermelon eating contest, and if you didn’t select a black player to represent your position group, defeat was presumed. Casual racism wasn’t limited to black players, either.
Lamitte said that after a loss to TCU to open the 2004 season and a particularly tough game by the placekicker, who was Asian, then-head coach Randy Walker told him, “We have a ch —k in our armor.”
Attorney Patrick Salvi Jr. said more than 20 lawsuits have been filed against Northwestern over its culture and that his firm, which represents Lamitte and Herron, also represented more than 50 alumni UN athletesfor most football players, with similar grievances.
In August, Ramon Diaza former offensive lineman, was the ninth former NU football player to pursue college.
“My football experience at Northwestern University still haunts me to this day. I will never forget the mistreatment I suffered during those four years,” Diaz said. “The emotional abuse I suffered is impossible to measure. »
Although Lamitte and Herron played in the early 2000s, Salvi alluded to players from the ’90s and said the statute of limitations would likely come into play in a few civil cases. Lamitte and Herron have not yet filed a formal complaint.
While Patrick Fitzgerald — who was fired after hazing allegations earlier this year — was not the head coach at the time of these latest accusations; he joined the staff as a coach in 2001. Neither did the former Wildcat ‘mentioned Fitzgerald, nor former head coach Walker, by name.
Deadspin reached out to Northwestern for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
The Wildcats under Pat Fitzgerald
An external investigation conducted in December 2022 “discovered no evidence that the coaching staff was aware of the ongoing hazing.” However, investigators said“they had the opportunity to discover and report the hazing.”
“Hazing in any form is unacceptable and goes against our core values at Northwestern, where we strive to make the university a safe and welcoming environment for all of our students,” it later said. Northwestern President Michael Schill.
Fitzgerald, who was suspended before being fired, said he “was unaware of the alleged incidents” reported by the Daily Northwestern in July, which allegedly included “forced sexual acts.”
The same day, A declaration signed by “ENTIRE Northwestern Football Team” claimed the coach was not involved in any of the alleged incidents.