When Pat Fitzgerald was suspended two weeks following Maggie Hickey’s investigation confirming that hazing occurred in the Northwestern football program, most figured that the head coach would simply be away from the team’s facilities during a recruiting dead period, and would return July 21. Little consideration was granted to the fact that David Braun was the Wildcats’ acting head coach, to say the least.
However, only three days after news of Fitzgerald’s suspension, the present reality for Northwestern changed exponentially, with the 17-year head coach being fired for allegations of hazing, racism and permitting a toxic culture. In one fell swoop, Braun went from a first-time FBS coach to the head man at a Big Ten institution.