Ex-Northwestern player files lawsuit over alleged hazing, claims coaches were subjected to abusive acts

Lloyd Yates' lawsuit against the school is the latest filed as fallout from the hazing scandal continues

Former Northwestern quarterback and wide receiver Lloyd Yates had a lawsuit filed on his behalf against the university Monday unveiling more details surrounding the alleged hazing within the program that led to the firing of longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald. The lawsuit, obtained by USA Today and filed by attorney by Ben Crump in Cook County, Illinois, claims the Northwestern coaching staff members were not only aware of the alleged hazing but subjected to some of the abusive acts. 

Crump, in a press conference Monday, said the lawsuit filed on behalf of Yates seeks "the eradication of physical, psychological and sexual hazing in college sports." Crump added that he plans to file more than 30 additional individual lawsuits in the coming months.

Yates is the fourth former player to come forward with a lawsuit against Northwestern. The new lawsuit filed on his behalf claims Northwestern assistants were "ran" by Wildcats players "on more than one occasion," noting a specific instance that occurred in front of the entire team and coaching staff sometime between Fall 2015-16. 

"Running" has previously been defined as individuals forcibly holding down a non-consenting individual and "[rubbing] their genital areas against the [person's] genitals, face and buttocks while rocking back and forth."

Additional hazing activities alleged in Monday's lawsuit, per ESPN, included one dubbed "The Dredge," in which players were hazed with "excessive alcohol intoxication and drinking games" that the lawsuit characterized as mandatory. 

The lawsuit also accuses Wildcats associate head coach Matt McPherson of "witnessing acts of hazing and not stopping them or reporting them." The lawsuit quotes four other players, not named as plaintiffs, including a John Doe who claims to have suffered "an injury as a result of the violent hazing" that entailed sexual abuse when he was a minor. 

Fitzgerald, who was fired by Northwestern on July 11 after an initial suspension amid an investigation into the matter, was not named as a defendant in the newest lawsuit. Fitzgerald was a defendant, along with other university leaders, in a previous lawsuit filed July 19 amid the continued fallout of the hazing scandal. 

Monday's suit is not the first time Yates, who played for the Wildcats from 2015-17, has spoken out on the alleged culture of hazing at Northwestern under Fitzgerald's watch. Yates previously told ESPN that players "were thrown into a culture where physical, emotional and sexual abuse was normalized" and that "university and football program has let us down."