5th ex-football player files suit vs. Northwestern
-
Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
Former Northwestern linebacker Simba Short became the fifth ex-football player to file a lawsuit against the school, alleging he suffered emotional and psychological trauma after being hazed and bullied while in the program.
Short, who played at Northwestern in 2015 and 2016 before medically retiring, is the second former player to identify himself in a lawsuit against the school. He alleged he was sexually and mentally abused while in the program, especially after undergoing shoulder surgery. The lawsuit alleges that former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald “knew or should have known that over time, ‘initiations’ and ‘traditions’ in the Wildcat football program had developed into a culture of violent, intimidating, sexualized abuse and hazing and extreme mental abuse.”
Northwestern fired Fitzgerald on July 10, three days after announcing the findings of a university-commissioned hazing investigation into the program. Fitzgerald initially was suspended for only two weeks, as an executive summary of the investigation stated that there was no evidence that he knew about the hazing incidents but did have the opportunity to learn about them and report them. Fitzgerald, who became head coach in 2006, has stated he had no knowledge of any hazing within the program.
Short’s lawsuit includes many of the same allegations as the claim filed by his former Northwestern teammate, Lloyd Yates, including the hazing ritual of “running,” where a group of players restrain one player and engage in dry-humping and other sexualized behavior. After returning to practice in the spring of 2016, Short alleges that older players told him he was “healthy enough to be ran.”
According to the claim, Short was fearful of being “ran” after seeing another freshman “dunked upside down in the ice bath while other players ‘ran’ him while he was naked, upside down with his head underwater.” Short alleges that despite his attempts to avoid upperclassmen, a small group of them restrained him in the locker room while one of them “ran” him.
The lawsuit states Short experienced a “mental health crisis” that led resulted in a self-harm incident and a hospitalization in 2016. He stated that after the hospitalization, Fitzgerald suggested that he medically retire from the program. Short returned to Northwestern in 2019 and finished his degree in 2021.
According to the claim, Short came to Northwestern with an injury history and was told he would need surgery shortly after his arrival. Short alleges he and other injured players were often bullied by coaches and players. The lawsuit does not name who bullied him.
“Simba was a target of verbal bullying from both player and coaches and was often referred to as an ‘eater and s—ter’ because his value to the team was nothing but consuming food and toilet space until he was healthy,” the lawsuit reads.
Like Yates, Short does not identify any Northwestern players who led or participated in the hazing activities in his lawsuit. Yates on Monday said he considered all Northwestern players “victims” of a culture where he said hazing became normalized — even those who led hazing rituals. Three unnamed former Northwestern players last week filed lawsuits against the school and current and former leaders, including Fitzgerald, current president Michael Schill and current athletic director Derrick Gragg.
“Simba entered Northwestern as an outstanding freshman, full of promise on the football field and in the classroom,” attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. “By the end of his freshman year, this abusive culture had broken him. We are seeking justice for him and other student athletes who were forced to live in fear and suffer at the hands of the university leadership. Simba is a hero of this MeToo movement of college sports, and we applaud him for stepping forward to tell his story.”
Crump, who is also representing Yates alongside the Chicago law firm Levin & Perconti, said he expected to file more than 30 lawsuits against Northwestern from former football players and athletes in other sports. Gragg told ESPN the school would investigate any hazing claims involving specific individuals, and that he was working to “eradicate” hazing from the athletic program.
-
Pete Thamel, ESPN
Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is not expected to play against Mississippi State on Saturday, per sources, as the Longhorns staff is expected to sit him out in order for him to be fully healthy for the game against Oklahoma on Oct. 12.
A final decision on Ewers is expected later Saturday, per sources, but the decision is trending toward allowing him to use Texas’ week off following the Mississippi State game to get healthy. Ewers has been considered week-to-week since injuring his oblique against UTSA on Sept. 14.
Ewers finished the week at nearly 70%, as he practiced Tuesday, was limited Wednesday and ended up limited in practice Thursday to allow him to fully heal. Per sources, the Texas coaching staff wanted to give Ewers the extra rest to ensure he’d return at full strength.
The decision means that Texas will against start backup quarterback Arch Manning, who will make his first career start in an SEC game. Manning made his first start against Louisiana Monroe, completing 15 of 29 passes for 258 yards. He had two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Ewers’ oblique injury came in the wake of him displaying one of the season’s best performances at Michigan in Week 2, as he threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a blowout Texas win in Ann Arbor.
Mississippi State enters the game on a three-game losing streak, which includes back-to-back blowout home losses to Toledo and Florida. The Bulldogs are trending toward finishing at the bottom of the SEC, as they have one of the country’s worst defenses. They are No. 111 nationally in total defense and No. 107 in scoring defense.
Mississippi State will also be without its starting quarterback, as starter Blake Shapen is out for the year after suffering a shoulder injury against Florida. Michael Van Buren, a true freshman, will make his first career start for the Bulldogs.
-
Pete Thamel, ESPN
Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams is a “true game-time decision” for the No. 2 Bulldogs at No. 4 Alabama on Saturday night, according to ESPN sources.
Williams has missed the previous two games with a Grade 2 ankle sprain, which he suffered against Clemson in the opener. He’ll be evaluated in pregame warmups and a decision will be made on his status.
Williams has been limited in practice this week, and it’s expected that if he does play it’ll be at less than 100 percent. He’s also unlikely to play a heavy snap count if he does play, as he’s working his way back.
Williams is a marauding defensive end who is the best player in Georgia’s front seven and is a high-end NFL prospect. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him ranked No. 4 overall player for the 2025 NFL draft.
Williams started the season hot before injuring his ankle against Clemson, as he had two tackles for loss and three quarterback pressures in that game.
They will be an onus on Georgia’s defensive line, especially on the ends, to help slow Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in Tuscaloosa.
Georgia’s defensive line will benefit from the return of senior Warren Brinson, who is listed as probable after missing the past two games. Sophomore defensive lineman Jordan Hall is questionable for the SEC showdown.
-
Pete Thamel, ESPN
Utah quarterback Cam Rising, who has been snakebit by injuries the past two years, is again expected to be a game-time decision against Arizona on Saturday night, sources told ESPN.
Rising has missed No. 10 Utah’s past two games after an injury to his throwing hand that he suffered against Baylor on Sept. 7. He missed all of last season after an ACL tear in the Rose Bowl following the 2022 season.
Rising’s status will undergo the same evaluation process with the Utah staff as before the Oklahoma State game last week. He’ll throw the ball pregame, and his ability to deliver spin and velocity on the ball will determine whether he’ll play, per sources.
As Rising has struggled to recover and get back on the field, one factor that could weigh into the decision is the chance to get him back fully healthy in two weeks. Utah has a bye before they play at Arizona State on Oct. 11.
Rising has practiced this week but remained limited as the staff has attempted to rest his finger.
Freshman Isaac Wilson has started the past two weeks, leading the Utes to victories over Utah State in Logan and in Stillwater against the Cowboys.
Wilson has shown both moments of promise and interspersed those with moments that have illuminated his youth. He threw for 207 yards on 17-of-29 passing against Oklahoma State. He also threw two interceptions. He threw for three touchdowns and 239 yards against Utah State.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports6 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports11 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway