Ex-athletes protect NU athletics culture in letter

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Citizen WriterAug 17, 2023, 09:00 AM ET

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• College football reporter.
• Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
• Graduate of Northwestern University.More than 1,000 former Northwestern athletes have sent out an open letter condemning hazing”in any type “while likewise safeguarding a sports culture they state is not represented or specified by claims that surfaced this summer against some of the school’s programs.The letter, gotten by ESPN, is signed by ex-Northwestern athletes in every university sport at the school, including 277 football players and 4 football supervisors. The professional athletes felt forced to speak up following a wave of lawsuits and other claims laying out extensive issues at the university.” The accusations being made are uncomfortable and we support the University’s efforts to totally investigate these claims

  ,”the letter checks out.”Nevertheless, these allegations do not represent or define the total sports culture at Northwestern.” Editor’s Picks 2 Related Northwestern is facing suits from more than 10 former football players, who declare hazing and other types of mistreatment within the program

  . A previous

  volley ball player likewise filed a lawsuit declaring hazing and mistreatment, and attorneys representing the previous athletes have hinted at additional claims including other sports programs at Northwestern.On Aug. 1, the university revealed that it had worked with previous U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to carry out an investigation of the total athletics culture and the method the department implements responsibility mechanisms.In Thursday’s letter, the previous Northwestern professional athletes pointed out”an exceptional culture that cultivates quality in sports, academics and community advancement.”The letter’s authors consist of athletes who finished from Northwestern between 1954 and 2023. Each sport has more than 10 former players who signed, and lots of have more than 40.”The opportunity to contend at this level in both the class and in our respective sports is special and deeply valued,”the letter checks out.”These experiences were the building blocks for each of our lives after graduation. This is the Northwestern we proudly came to know and value, and for

  which we are tremendously grateful.” We strongly verify the positive experiences we had at Northwestern and, if used, would do it all over once again.”Alexis Prousis, a two-time All-American and NCAA champion in tennis at Northwestern, stated she and other former athletes from the school “share the anger, unhappiness, and disappointment”following the accusations of hazing and mistreatment.”We condemn hazing of any kind and support the victims during their time of healing

  and healing,” stated Prousis, a past president of Northwestern’s N Club, which links previous professional athletes to the school.”What we must remember throughout this challenging time is that the actions of a few do not and should not specify the University and Athletics as a whole.”University president Michael Schill fired longtime football coach Pat Fitzgerald on July 10, citing a partly”broken”team culture. Schill since has actually launched numerous messages of assistance for Northwestern’s existing athletes.Interim football coach David Braun on Wednesday applauded former players for their support of the existing group, which he anticipates to continue at Northwestern’s home opener Sept. 9.”I definitely hope that this neighborhood, our alumni, all those that are related to Northwestern University and Northwestern athletics, will come out and show full assistance for 103 young men that have actually worked their butts off throughout the last four weeks and have actually come together to do something truly unique,”Braun stated. “I’m truly positive that that’s exactly what’s going to occur.”