At Northwestern, Leaders Scramble to Contain Crisis Over Hazing Allegations

Northwestern University’s athletic director didn’t make the decision to fire Pat Fitzgerald, the football coach, after a bombshell report of hazing in the program. But he got the job of telling the team the news. And he had a problem. As the crisis swelled, Derrick Gragg, the AD, was on a family vacation outside the country. So he was given a choice: He could have one of his assistant athletic directors announce the news to the team, or he could Zoom into a scheduled meeting and make the announcement himself.