Northwestern University has reached a “provisional settlement” with dozens of former student-athletes who sued the school in relation to alleged hazing and sexual abuse in the university’s football program, according to one of the plaintiff attorneys and a recent court filing.
In the filing, which was submitted to the Cook County Circuit Court on Friday afternoon, Northwestern requests the trial date in former head coach Pat Fitzgerald’s case be continued from Nov. 3, 2025 to March 24, 2026. This “short extension,” wrote attorney Reid Schar of the law firm Jenner & Block, was sought to allow Northwestern to, among other things, “finalize a settlement that will fully resolve the student plaintiffs’ claims” against the university and Fitzgerald.
“The settlement will not, however, resolve Fitzgerald’s claims against Northwestern, and the student plaintiffs will be witnesses in the ongoing litigation,” Schar wrote. “As a result, Northwestern still anticipates deposing a significant number of student plaintiffs and non-plaintiff former players to defend against Fitzgerald’s claims.”
Northwestern’s hazing scandal first erupted in July 2023, when, after the conclusion of a months-long university investigation, President Michael Schill initially placed Fitzgerald on a two-week suspension but then reversed course and fired him after The Daily Northwestern reported disturbing details of alleged physical and sexual abuse in the program — abuse Fitzgerald reportedly was aware of.
Since then, at least 40 former football players have sued the university for negligence and other charges related to the hazing allegations. They are primarily represented by three legal teams: Chicago law firms Levin & Perconti; Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C.; and Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge.
Fitzgerald sued for wrongful termination and defamation in July 2023, and former offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian sued for defamation in July 2024 after he was fired the prior December.
All of these cases were filed in county court, and are currently consolidated for the purpose of pretrial discovery.
Patrick Salvi II, the Chicago managing partner of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, wrote Tuesday that his firm has “entered into a provisional settlement” with Northwestern for their clients, and will “continue to work through the remaining outstanding issues to finalize a settlement that will hopefully allow both sides to move forward in a positive way.”
A representative for Levin & Perconti declined to comment, and others for Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge did not respond to a request sent Tuesday afternoon. Northwestern spokesperson Eliza Larson provided a statement that repeated wording from the motion to delay the trial.
Schar’s motion also argued that Northwestern needs additional time before the trial for tasks such as deposing witnesses, completing discovery and making any final pretrial motions to dismiss the case. An exhibit filed with the motion lists six people the university has already deposed and 117 more that it plans to depose by the end of June, including almost all 40 player plaintiffs and 46 more player claimants identified by the Levin and Salvi teams.
Fitzgerald’s attorneys, Dan Webb and Matthew Carter of the Chicago law firm Winston & Strawn, argued against the extension in their own filing submitted Monday afternoon, and Circuit Judge Kathy Flanagan denied the extension later that day without further explanation.
The trial’s start remains scheduled for Nov. 3.
Webb and Carter wrote in a statement sent Tuesday that the former NU coach “continues to assert” the university illegally fired and defamed him, and argued that discovery thus far has “confirmed” that there’s “no evidence that Coach Fitzgerald was aware of any hazing.”
“He looks forward to having his day in court, where he expects a jury will hold Northwestern and President Schill accountable for the extreme harm done to his personal and professional reputation,” Webb and Carter wrote.
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