Attorney Ben Crump has filed a lawsuit on behalf of former Northwestern quarterback Lloyd Yates against the school stemming from the alleged hazing within the football program.
Per USA Today's Tom Schad, allegations in the lawsuit include "claims that members of the coaching staff were aware of those acts–and, in some instances, subjected to them as well."
The lawsuit specifically notes assistant coaches were "ran" by players "on more than one occasion." Running is defined in the complaint as when a group of players forcibly held down a nonconsenting individual and rubbed "their genital areas against the [person's] genitals, face, and buttocks while rocking back and forth."
One allegation in the lawsuit states a strength and conditioning coach was "ran" by members of the team on the football field in front of the entire team and coaching staff in either the fall of 2015 or spring of 2016.
Associate head coach Matt MacPherson, who has been with the program since 2006, is one of the coaches "accused of witnessing acts of hazing and not stopping them or reporting them" in the lawsuit.
Adam Rittenberg @ESPNRittenbergThe new Northwestern football lawsuit has been filed, and longtime assistant coach Matt McPherson is "accused of witnessing acts of hazing and not stopping them or reporting them." The complaint lists two unnamed assistant coaches who were hazed in the same manner as players.
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg also noted multiple allegations of racism from players to coaches was cited in the lawsuit and a post-training hazing event that was described as "non-optional" requiring players to play drinking games with excessive amounts of alcohol.
Adam Rittenberg @ESPNRittenbergToday's lawsuit includes "running" and other hazing incidents that have been revealed, but also some new ones, including "The Dredge," a post-training event where players were allegedly hazed with "excessive alcohol intoxication and drinking games." Described as not-optional.
Rittenberg noted Yates is currently the only plaintiff listed in the lawsuit, but four former Wildcats players are quoted within it and one said he suffered sexual abuse as a minor and was injured as a result of the "violent hazing."
MacPherson was named in a report from USA Today's Josh Peter by former Wildcats offensive lineman Ramon Diaz and another person who had contact with multiple other former players. They said MacPherson witnessed various forms of hazing, including players doing naked pull-ups.
"He would come in and laugh at the guy(s) who was doing the naked pull-ups," Diaz told Peter via text message.
Jon Yates, Northwestern's vice president for global marketing and communications, issued a statement to Peter in response to the allegations from Diaz and other players:
"There is no place for hazing at Northwestern. We are committed to do whatever is necessary to address hazing-related issues and ensure that our athletic program remains one that our entire community can be proud of and one that is fully aligned with and reflects our values. As President Michael Schill stated on Tuesday, the University will redouble our efforts to safeguard the welfare of each and every student-athlete at Northwestern."
Former head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who was fired on July 10 due to allegations of widespread hazing within the program, was not named as a defendant in Yates' lawsuit.
Schad noted this Yates lawsuit is the fourth known complaint that has been filed against Northwestern related to the hazing scandal, but this is the first one with a named plaintiff.
A former volleyball player also filed a lawsuit against Northwestern on Monday, saying the school and athletic department were negligent responding to an alleged hazing incident from the spring of 2021.
Crump told reporters last week he was representing more than 15 Northwestern student-athletes, both men and women, and he's been in contact with over 50 former athletes from the program.
Yates was on the Wildcats football team for three seasons from 2015 to '17. He was a quarterback during his first two seasons before moving to wide receiver as a redshirt sophomore in 2017.
