https://www.espn.com/college-football/st...ll-program

They can't get him for any actual NCAA infractions b/c he wouldn't commit those, and they don't want to fire him and be on the hook for $50m, and he's a former great player and current coach who's had a lot of success...this has a "Craig James' son in a dark closet" icky vibe to it.

My take? NW regrets that $60m they committed to Fitzgerald 2 yrs ago, and he won't resign.

I’ve been consistent in my stance that Northwestern can’t fire Fitzgerald because he has a $48 million buyout and all their donors are tied up in the $800 million entirely donor-funded new football stadium.

But this is the first scandal since he became coach in 2006, so if they can fire for cause now’s the time.

Admire the commitment of Northwestern (and specifically its boosters) to first-class athletic facilities — and let's hope the precious NIMBY's don't get in the way of what appears to be a spectacular stadium makeover.

But any move to get rid of Pat Fitzgerald — barring this off-field situation turning very ugly — sure seems like a risky move even with the recent downturn that includes three 1-8 conference finishes since 2019.

The guy has been coaching the Wildcats for 17 seasons with a W-L mark nine games over .500, five Top 25 finishes since 2012 and Western Division championships in 2018 and '20.

The odds of a Fitzgerald replacement doing something similar over an extended period of time would seem to fall somewhere between highly unlikely and impossible.