ACC commissioner Jim Phillips vows to 'vigorously defend' himself in Northwestern lawsuits

Jim Phillips, the former Northwestern athletic director who is now commissioner of the ACC, has vowed to “vigorously defend” himself in any litigation related to the ongoing hazing scandal at Northwestern.

Phillips was NU’s athletic director from 2008 to 2021 before he took the commissioner job with the ACC. In a statement released Thursday, Phillips denied having any knowledge of the hazing within the football program, which, following an investigation, led to the firing of head coach Pat Fitzgerald after 17 seasons.

Phillips was named as a defendant in two separate lawsuits filed by former Northwestern football players this week. In one of the complaints, a player claimed to have been subjected to “sexualized hazing and physical abuse.”

Phillips said he never “condoned or tolerated inappropriate conduct” involving Northwestern athletes.

“This has been a difficult time for the Northwestern University community, a place that my entire family called home. Over my thirty-year career in intercollegiate athletics, my highest priority has always been the health and safety of all student-athletes. Hazing is completely unacceptable anywhere, and my heart goes out to anyone who carries the burden of having been mistreated,” Phillips said.

“Any allegation that I ever condoned or tolerated inappropriate conduct against student-athletes is absolutely false. I will vigorously defend myself against any suggestion to the contrary.”

In addition to Phillips, others listed as defendants include the university and its board of trustees, Fitzgerald, university president Michael Schill, current athletic director Derrick Gragg and former university president Morton Schapiro.

According to a statement for the attorneys representing one of the former players suing Northwestern, the defendants “were negligent in failing to prevent hazing traditions, failing to intervene in hazing traditions, and failing to protect students from acts that were assaultive, illegal, and often sexual in nature.”

An investigation into hazing inside the Northwestern football program was prompted by an anonymous complaint sent to school officials in November. The school publicly acknowledged that it was investigating the claim in January and on July 7 released a summary of the investigation’s findings.

At first, Schill announced a two-week suspension for Fitzgerald, as well as other measures the school would take to combat hazing in the athletic department. A day later, The Daily Northwestern published a story detailing the hazing accusations. Two days later, Schill reversed course and fired Fitzgerald, who had been the Wildcats’ head coach since 2006.

Northwestern said Tuesday that it plans to launch two external investigations into the athletic department. One will examine how the athletic department implements accountability and “detect(s) threats to the welfare of student-athletes.” The other investigation will focus on the culture of the athletic department and “its relationship to the academic mission.” Both reviews will be made available to the public upon their completion.

Schill said Tuesday that the school will “redouble” its efforts “to safeguard the welfare of each and every student-athlete at Northwestern.” That includes beginning to implement “anti-hazing training” and “an online reporting tool” for hazing complaints.