Ovechkin career goal record chase: No. 894 ties Wayne Gretzky
After breaking the 800-goal barrier during the 2022-23 season, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin now has his sights set on breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goals record of 894.
Ovechkin began the 2024-25 season with 853 goals and has tied the record, with 894. The excitement around the chase has led to Ovi becoming one of the NHL’s most popular bets, with a slew of interesting props.
Follow along here as we chronicle each subsequent goal Ovechkin scores this season, including goal highlights, the upcoming Capitals schedule and how to watch.
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Upcoming schedule | Goal videos
The NHL’s top 10 in career goals
T-1. Wayne Gretzky (894)
T-1. Alex Ovechkin (894)
3. Gordie Howe (801)
4. Jaromir Jagr (766)
5. Brett Hull (741)
6. Marcel Dionne (731)
7. Phil Esposito (717)
8. Mike Gartner (708)
9. Mark Messier (694)
10. Steve Yzerman (692)
Goals scored in 2024-25
No. 894: April 4 vs. CHI
How else but on the power play? Six minutes, 13 seconds into the third period, Ovechkin scored the record-tying goal as Wayne Gretzky watched from the crowd. The monumental goal was assisted by John Carlson and Andrew Mangiapane.
2:24
Ovechkin shows love to crowd after tying Gretzky at 894 goals
Alex Ovechkin ties Wayne Gretzky for most goals in NHL history at 894.
No. 893: April 4 vs. CHI
Ovechkin scored 3:52 into the first period against the Blackhawks to move two goals away from the all-time record — and score his 40th of the season. The goal was assisted by Dylan Strome and John Carlson.
0:53
Ovechkin 2 away from passing Gretzky with 893rd goal
Alex Ovechkin lights the lamp as he inches closer to breaking Wayne Gretzkys all-time scoring record.
No. 892: April 2 vs. CAR
Now just three goals away from the record, Ovechkin’s 892nd was a vintage strike — powering home a shot from the left circle on a Capitals power play to cut into the Hurricanes’ lead.
0:40
Alex Ovechkin now 3 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores career goal 892, putting him three away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 891: April 1 vs. BOS
Ovechkin was in the right place at the right time for his 891st career goal. He received the puck just in front of an empty net and scored on the power play — which secured his 18th career season with at least 10 power-play goals, according to ESPN Research.
0:56
Ovechkin scores 891st goal, 4 away from breaking record
Alex Ovechkin scores from close range, putting him three away from tying Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 890: March 30 vs. BUF
Ovechkin’s chase to pass Gretzky can now be counted down on one hand. He found the net midway through the third period on a neat no-look tip-in.
0:30
Ovechkin scores 890th goal, moves 5 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores on a fantastic redirection for his 890th career goal.
No. 889: March 25 vs. WPG
Facing a 2-1 deficit late in the third period, Ovechkin connected on a snap shot to even the game. It marked the 150th game-tying goal of his career, 11 more than anyone else in NHL history, according to ESPN Research.
1:04
Ovechkin’s 889th goal moves him 6 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin nets his 889th career goal to tie the score in the third period, putting him six away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 888: March 20 vs. PHI
Ovechkin put home a follow-up chance late in the first period versus the Flyers. Ovi now has has 52 career goals against Philadelphia, the all-time second-most against the Flyers, passing Mario Lemieux.
0:42
Ovechkin 7 goals away from passing Gretzky after 888th goal
Alex Ovechkin nets his 888th career goal, putting him seven away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 887: March 15 vs. SJ
Already comfortably ahead against San Jose, Ovechkin tipped in a goal in the third period. Eighteen of Ovi’s 34 goals have come in the third period this season, the most in the NHL, according to ESPN Research.
0:53
Ovechkin’s redirect goal moves him 8 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin redirects the puck into the net for his 887th career goal.
No. 886: March 9 vs. SEA
Ovechkin was out on the ice to help preserve a late third-period lead against Seattle, and wrestled enough space from a Kraken defender to score an empty-net goal to put the game out of reach.
0:41
Alex Ovechkin nets career goal No. 886, eight shy of Wayne Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin taps in an empty-netter for career goal No. 886 and his 1,600th point.
No. 885: March 5 vs. NYR
Ovi’s goal went a long way for the Capitals as it evened the score with 9:32 left in the third period. Washington went on to secure an overtime victory after Ovechkin netted his 32nd goal in 46 games this season.
0:41
Ovechkin scores 885th goal, 10 away from passing Gretzky
Alex Ovechkin scores his 32nd goal of the season, putting him only 10 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 884: March 1 vs. TB
Although the Capitals lost a showdown with old Southeastern Division foe Tampa Bay, Ovi put himself 10 goals from tying Gretzky via a third-period goal assisted by Matt Roy.
0:52
Alex Ovechkin closes in on history with late goal for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin is just 10 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record 894 after this goal against the Lightning.
No. 883: Feb. 25 vs. CGY
Ovechkin connected on a goal on a Capitals power play against the Calgary Flames, his eighth in eight games and 30th of the season. Ovechkin is the fourth player in NHL history to score 30 goals at age 39 or older.
EIGHT GOALS IN EIGHT GAMES.
THE #GR8CHASE IS ROLLING FOLKS!#ALLCAPS | @BlueHalo pic.twitter.com/I09wwQi0IO
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 26, 2025
Nos. 880, 881, 882: Feb. 23 vs. EDM
Ovechkin first found the net nearly halfway through the second period against the Edmonton Oilers. About ten minutes later, he did it again, concluding a Washington power play with a goal. His third came on an empty netter late in the third period, Ovechkin’s seventh empty net goal this season.
Ovechkin has 200 goals since Jan. 1, 2020, becoming the first player in NHL history to score 200+ goals in three different decades. Ovechkin is now on pace to break Gretzky’s career goals record by the end of this season, per all three methodologies ESPN Research has used.
1:38
Ovechkin’s hat trick puts him 13 away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores a hat trick against the Oilers to reach 882 career goals.
No. 879: Feb. 6 vs. PHI
Down 1-0 in the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers, Ovechkin evened the score in the final minute with a one-timer.
0:38
Alex Ovechkin moves 16 goals away from breaking Gretzky’s record
Alex Ovechkin scores his 879th career goal to move 16 goals away from eclipsing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record
No. 878: Feb. 4 vs. FLA
Every second counts. Ovechkin netted his 878th goal with just 0.1 seconds left, slotting the puck in an empty net against the Florida Panthers.
0:47
Alexander Ovechkin beats the buzzer to score goal 878
Alexander Ovechkin scores an empty-netter with 0.1 left to give him his 878th goal of his career.
No. 877: Feb. 1 vs. WPG
Ovechkin tied the game with under eight minutes left in the third period with his 877th goal. The Caps would lose in overtime in a matchup of two of the NHL’s top teams.
0:47
Alex Ovechkin brings Caps even with his 877th career goal
Alex Ovechkin ties the score at 4 and moves 18 goals from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 876: Jan. 30 vs. OTT
Ovechkin scored against the Ottawa Senators exactly two weeks in ago in their Jan. 16 matchup and did it again with a power play finish in the third period against Ottawa. It marked Ovechkin’s NHL-record 318th career power play goal.
0:29
Alex Ovechkin nets his 876th goal with a great shot from the point
Alex Ovechkin finds the back of the net for his 876th goal to pull the Capitals within 1.
No. 875: Jan. 23 vs. SEA
Ovi added another empty-net tally to his career total to put the finishing touches on this victory for the Caps, assisted by Trevor van Riemsdyk and Jakob Chychrun.
0:41
Alex Ovechkin scores 875th NHL goal
Alex Ovechkin scores in the third period and is now 20 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky on the NHL’s all-time list.
No. 874: Jan. 16 vs. OTT
Ovechkin locked in one record with his 874th goal. He broke the mark for the most goaltenders scored on after slotting one past Ottawa’s Leevi Merilainen for a game-winning overtime goal.
0:58
Alex Ovechkin’s 874th career goal wins it in OT for the Capitals
Alex Ovechkin breaks through in overtime with his 874th career goal to propel the Capitals to a 1-0 win.
No. 873: Jan. 11 vs. NSH
Ovechkin put the finishing touches on a the Caps’ 4-1 win over the Predators by way of an empty-net goal.
0:36
Alex Ovechkin scores his 873rd career goal on empty net
Alex Ovechkin moves 21 goals away from Wayne Gretzky’s record with an empty-net goal to seal the Capitals’ win.
No. 872: Jan. 4 vs. NYR
The Capitals wound up scoring seven on the reeling Rangers, and Ovechkin’s 19th of the season made it 5-3 in the third period, assisted by Dylan Strome.
0:17
Alex Ovechkin scores his 872nd career goal to increase Caps’ lead
Alex Ovechkin nets his 872nd career goal and is 23 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record.
No. 871: Jan. 2 vs. MIN
Although the Capitals lost in a shootout to the Wild, Ovechkin added to his career total via a second-period, power-play goal, assisted by Dylan Strome.
0:19
Ovechkin inches closer to Gretzky’s record with another goal
Alex Ovechkin moves closer to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time NHL goalscoring record with this fierce finish vs. the Wild.
No. 870: Dec. 29 vs. DET
Ovechkin is making up for time lost during his injury absence, scoring his second goal in as many games since returning. His 17th of the season was assisted by Jakob Chychrun and Connor McMichael.
0:28
Ovechkin inches closer to Gretzky with 870th goal
Alex Ovechkin is now 25 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record of 894 goals.
No. 869: Dec. 28 vs. TOR
In his first game back following a five-week stint on injured reserve, Ovechkin notched an empty-net goal to seal the deal against the Maple Leafs. The goal was assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Pierre-Luc Dubois.
0:27
Alex Ovechkin scores in return to Capitals
Alex Ovechkin comes one goal closer to the record after scoring an empty-net goal.
No. 868, 867: Nov. 18 vs. UTA
A day after his hat trick against Vegas, Ovechkin scored two more against the Hockey Club — and might’ve had another if he wasn’t knocked out of the game following a collision with Jack McBain. Goal No. 867 was assisted by Pierre-Luc Dubois, while No. 868 was on the power play, and assisted by John Carlson and Dylan Strome.
0:32
Ovechkin’s 2nd goal of the night gets him to 868
Alex Ovechkin nets his second goal of the game to put the Capitals up 4-1 over the Utah HC, and moves within 26 goals of tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
0:43
Alex Ovechkin cashes goal 867 for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin finds the back of the net to give the Capitals a 3-1 lead over Utah, and moves within 27 goals of tying Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
No. 866, 865, 864: Nov. 17 vs. VGK
Back in 2018, Ovechkin and the Capitals won the Stanley Cup in Vegas. There was less at stake in this game, but Ovi came through with a hat trick in the Caps’ 5-2 win: a first-period, power-play tally (assisted by John Carlson and Dylan Strome), a second-period score assisted by Matt Roy, and an empty-net goal to cap it off (assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehervary).
0:46
Alex Ovechkin lights the lamp
Alex Ovechkin lights the lamp
0:33
Alex Ovechkin nets goal for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin nets goal for Capitals
0:48
Ovechkin’s 864th goal tips off defender’s stick
Alex Ovechkin nets his 864th career goal after his shot banks off Alex Pietrangelo’s stick.
No. 863, 862: Nov. 9, 2024 vs. STL
Did you seriously think that an 8-1 win for the Capitals would not include any goals from Ovechkin? Ovi scored in the second period (assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome) to make it 2-1, then added a power-play tally in the third (assisted by Strome and Tom Wilson) to make it 4-1.
0:48
Ovechkin tallies his 2nd goal of the game and 863rd of career
Alex Ovechkin’s wrist shot finds the net to pad the Capitals’ lead vs. the Blues and creep ever closer towards Gretzky’s scoring record.
0:49
Alex Ovechkin nets 862nd goal
Alex Ovechkin nets 862nd goal
No. 861: Nov. 6, 2024 vs. NSH
Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the season at 10:25 of the third period on assists from Dylan Strome and Martin Fehervary.
1:04
Alex Ovechkin nets 861st NHL goal vs. Nashville
Alex Ovechkin nets 861st NHL goal vs. Nashville
No. 860: Nov. 3, 2024 vs. CAR
Though the Capitals lost, 4-2, Ovi notched a first-period, power-play tally, on assists from John Carlson and Dylan Strome.
0:40
Ovechkin tallies 860th goal, 34 away from tying Gretzky
Alex Ovechkin scores on the power play, which is his 860th career goal, making him 34 shy of tying Wayne Gretzky for the most goals of all time.
No. 859: Nov. 2, 2024 vs. CBJ
Ovechkin was one of six different Capitals to score in the team’s route of the BJs, and his goal was assisted by Dylan Strome and Aliaksei Protas.
0:44
Ovechkin tallies goal No. 859 for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin slaps it in from distance to get his 859th career goal and pad the Capitals’ lead vs. the Blue Jackets.
No. 858: Oct. 31, 2024 vs. MTL
A 6-3 Capitals win with an Ovechkin goal as the capper? The fans went home happy from this one. Assists on this goal were from Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome.
0:46
Alex Ovechkin tallies goal No. 858 for Caps
Alex Ovechkin pads the Capitals’ lead vs. the Canadiens with his 858th career goal.
No. 857, 856: Oct. 29, 2024 vs. NYR
A raucous, 5-3 win for the Capitals included two first-period tallies from Ovi, both assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome.
0:19
Alex Ovechkin’s 857th goal puts Capitals back on top
Alex Ovechkin nets his second goal of the first period to retake the Capitals’ early lead vs. the Rangers.
0:19
Alex Ovechkin 856th goal gets the Capitals on the board
Alex Ovechkin scores early in the first period to give the Capitals a quick 1-0 lead over the Rangers.
No. 855: Oct. 23, 2024 vs. PHI
Ovechkin has a knack for empty-net goals, and added to his career total in that category to cap off a win against Philly, with an assist from Dylan Strome.
0:43
Alex Ovechkin scores goal vs. Flyers
Alex Ovechkin scores goal vs. Flyers
No. 854: Oct. 19, 2024 vs. NJ
It took to the fourth game of the Capitals’ season for Ovechkin to get his first marker of the campaign, on assists from John Carlson and Dylan Strome.
0:47
Alex Ovechkin scores goal for Capitals
Alex Ovechkin nets goal for Capitals
Upcoming schedule
Note: All games available to ESPN+ subscribers at no extra charge as part of NHL Power Play on ESPN+, unless otherwise noted. Blackout restrictions apply.
Sun, Apr 6: at Islanders, 12:30 (TNT/truTV/Max)
Thu, Apr 10: vs. Carolina, 7:30
Sat, Apr 12: at Columbus, 7:00 (ABC/ESPN+)
Sun, Apr 13: vs. Columbus, 6:00
Tue, Apr 15: at Islanders, 8:00 (ESPN)
Thu, Apr 17: at Pittsburgh, 7:00 (ESPN)
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Chris Low
AUBURN, Ala. — About three months after his second straight losing season at Auburn, Hugh Freeze found out in February that he had prostate cancer.
“At the time, the only thing you hear is that ‘C’ word,'” Freeze told ESPN on Tuesday.
Admittedly rattled, and more scared for his family than anything else, Freeze has since settled on a course of treatment, and after getting some encouraging news recently from doctors that his form of cancer was low aggressive, he has decided to wait until January and let doctors reexamine his situation instead of having surgery.
“I’m only 55. We’re a family of faith, and I just didn’t feel like it was time to rush into surgery,” Freeze said. “I’m at peace with it.”
The same goes for his football team as Freeze enters his third season on the Plains. He’s by no means content with the results the past two seasons — and neither is he naïve about the lack of patience within the realm of SEC football — but Freeze was outspoken when he arrived that it would take three full recruiting classes to get Auburn back into championship contention. His first two have both been top-10 classes nationally.
“I think it’s as settled as we’ve been as a program, the continuity of our staff, the pieces of our staff that we’ve added and what we’ve been able to do in building our roster in high school recruiting and in the portal,” Freeze said. “Now, we’ve got to go compete and win some more games, but I don’t feel any sense of panic.
“We’re on our way to getting where we want to be and where we should be.”
Auburn last had a winning season in 2020, when it was 6-5, and has won more than eight games only twice (2017 and 2019) since playing for the national championship in 2013. The Tigers finished 5-7 last season.
Freeze said the support and commitment from Auburn chancellor Christopher Roberts and athletic director John Cohen couldn’t be stronger, and in the world of name, image and likeness, Auburn is going all-in on locking in key players financially. The payroll for the 2025 roster will exceed $20 million.
One of the key acquisitions was quarterback Jackson Arnold, who transferred from Oklahoma. Arnold was ESPN’s No. 2-ranked dual-threat quarterback prospect in the 2023 signing class, but he was benched for part of last season after some early struggles.
“One hundred percent, I needed a reset,” Arnold said. “It was just time to move on. I needed to go to a place where I was going to put myself in a better position. I’m never going to say anything bad about OU or any of the people there, but it just wasn’t a fit. And as the season went on, maybe it was them losing confidence in me or whatever, but I never doubted that I could play at this level and win at this level.”
Arnold said it was especially important to him to play for an offensive-minded head coach and one with a history of coaching and developing quarterbacks. Freeze said he plans to call the majority of the plays this season (although new offensive coordinator Derrick Nix might call some), and Freeze said he will spend more time with the quarterbacks on the practice field this fall.
“[Quarterbacks coach] Kent Austin is great,” Freeze said. “From fundamentals and coverage recognition and all that, he’s better than I am, but I think it’s vital that they’re hearing my thoughts, and I just think this fall it would be even more vital that Jackson is hearing my thoughts.”
As spring practice winds down this week for Auburn, Arnold said his rapport with the receivers grows stronger every practice. And for Freeze, he said he has seen a “monumental difference” in the receivers, particularly with the addition of transfers Eric Singleton Jr. from Georgia Tech and Horatio Fields from Wake Forest.
“We’ve got more depth, and there’s a maturity factor, too,” Freeze said. “I know quarterbacks take the brunt of the deal, but there were times that [last year’s starter] Payton [Thorne] was ready to pull the trigger on something that should have been there and we didn’t run the right depth of a route or the right route.”
Cam Coleman, who averaged 16.2 yards per catch and had eight touchdown receptions a year ago as one of the more heralded true freshman receivers in the country, said his emphasis has been more consistency. He said the entire receiving corps has taken on a leadership role to push each other and hold each other accountable, which wasn’t necessarily the case a year ago.
“Every receiver brings something different to the table, and our identity is we’re going to catch anything and everything, by any means as possible,” Coleman said. “That’s no matter if we make the quarterback look good or the quarterback makes us look good. We’re going catch the ball and make things happen.”
Singleton’s speed should complement Coleman’s ability to win one-on-one battles down the field, and Malcolm Simmons is equally explosive. He returns for his sophomore season after catching 40 passes last season. The 6-3 Coleman said he’s up to 205 pounds.
“Good luck. That’s all I can tell anybody trying to cover him,” Singleton said of Coleman.
Arnold said his role is to come in and “play point guard” and that Freeze also likes his ability to extend plays. The Tigers struggled mightily to score last season. They finished 14th in the SEC in scoring offense (19.1 points per game) and were 13th in third-down conversions, while scoring just six rushing touchdowns in eight SEC games. But they did move the ball on offense and finished second in the league in yards per play (6.67 yards). Three of their seven losses last season were by a touchdown or less.
What plagued the Tigers were crippling turnovers, coming up empty on key third downs and not being able to finish drives — or even make field goals. They were 8-of-17 on field goal attempts in SEC play, but the good news is that regular kicker Alex McPherson is back after missing almost the entire past season a with gastrointestinal issues.
“We’re all in this together, and I know for a fact these coaches believe in me and they know I can do it, and in turn, I’ve been able to play a lot more,” Arnold said. “Mistakes are going to happen. No one’s going to be perfect, but my confidence is really high right now. I’m playing free and just being myself.”
Even with the cancer diagnosis, Freeze has also felt a sense of freedom. His players have seen it up close and personal.
“He’s out here every day, and it gives the whole team the sense that he cares, and that whatever he’s going through, he’s going to push through,” junior defensive end Keldric Faulk said. “It gives us the confidence to just ride behind him.
“The only difference I see is that he’s brought way more energy, and it’s contagious to the whole team.”
Freeze would tend to agree that his cancer diagnosis has helped him to narrow his focus, although life as an SEC head football coach tends to have that effect naturally.
“I don’t know. I think as much as anything it’s just been a reminder that every day is a gift, and man, I’m going to give my best to these kids, my family and our fans,” Freeze said. “That’s what I should be concerned about.”
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Adam Rittenberg
Northwestern is finalizing settlements with former athletes who filed hazing-related lawsuits against the university and former coach Pat Fitzgerald, whose $130 million wrongful termination lawsuit against the school is set to go to trial in November.
In a motion filed last week, requesting a continuation of the trial date in Fitzgerald’s claim, Northwestern stated it recently began mediation with the athletes that resulted in an undisclosed settlement currently being finalized. Northwestern said athlete plaintiffs “will be witnesses in the ongoing litigation” involving Fitzgerald.
“While the terms of the provisional settlement are confidential, we intend to continue to work through the remaining outstanding issues to finalize a settlement that will hopefully allow both sides to move forward in a positive way,” attorneys Patrick Salvi and Parker Stinar, who are representing some of the former football players, said in a statement.
Fitzgerald’s attorneys on Tuesday said Northwestern’s motion for continuation was denied, and that the trial date for his case remains set for Nov. 3. They have repeatedly requested earlier trial dates so that Fitzgerald, fired in July 2023 for cause, can return to coaching college football.
“Coach Fitzgerald committed no wrongdoing,” Fitzgerald’s attorneys Dan Webb and Matthew Carter said in a statement. “Despite extensive written and testimonial discovery, there remains no evidence to show or suggest that Coach Fitzgerald was aware of any hazing at Northwestern. The discovery has thus confirmed what Northwestern said through President Michael Schill both before and after Coach Fitzgerald’s termination: that there is no evidence that Coach Fitzgerald was aware of any hazing.”
Dozens of former athletes filed hazing-related lawsuits against Northwestern and Fitzgerald in 2023 and 2024. They cited sexualized acts and other troubling rituals that occurred during Northwestern’s preseason training camp and at other times.
In last week’s filing, Northwestern said that after repeated requests, attorneys representing the athletes responded Jan. 29, noting that 81 athletes had relevant information. Northwestern said it had conducted six depositions and has 33 more scheduled, and has identified 40 former athletes to be witnesses in its defense against Fitzgerald’s claim, as well as non-plaintiffs “identified as having information related to the hazing and other conduct in the football program during Fitzgerald’s tenure.”
The school requested the continuation so it could finish depositions with athletes and depositions or document requests with approximately 70 “third-party” individuals identified as having relevant information, including many who live outside of Illinois.
Northwestern fired Fitzgerald three days after announcing a two-week offseason suspension for the coach, following the completion of a university-commissioned investigation into allegations of hazing from a sole football player in late 2022. The investigation found that hazing had occurred in the program but that there was no evidence Fitzgerald knew about what had happened.
The player went public with his allegations to The Daily Northwestern and then ESPN, and Schill ultimately fired Fitzgerald amid significant backlash. Fitzgerald had led the program since 2006 as is Northwestern’s all-time winningest coach and a two-time national defensive player of the year at linebacker.
Fitzgerald filed his lawsuit in October 2023, claiming that Northwestern violated a verbal contract by firing him for cause, after agreeing to the suspension following the conclusion of its own investigation. He also claimed Northwestern and Schill violated his written contract. He’s seeking $68 million that remained on his contract, which ran through 2030, as well as future earnings losses of approximately $62 million. Fitzgerald has been a volunteer assistant for his son’s high school team but has not re-entered college coaching.
“Coach Fitzgerald has proven himself a staunch advocate of student well-being, including consistently emphasizing a zero-tolerance policy on hazing,” Webb and Carter’s statement reads. “He implemented and maintained some of the strongest anti-hazing programs and policies in collegiate sports.”
They added that every Northwestern player signed a hazing policy form before being allowed to practice, and that his actions to prevent hazing were “fully integrated” into the program.
“He continues to assert that Northwestern illegally terminated his employment, violated an oral contract, and defamed him, causing significant damage to his sterling reputation,” the attorney statement reads.
Former Northwestern offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian also sued the school for defamation and spreading false information in the wake of the hazing scandal. Bajakian’s case has been consolidated with Fitzgerald’s and also could go to trial. Bajakian spent the 2024 season at Utah and is currently offensive coordinator at Massachusetts.
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