Tag: Fitzgerald

Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald headline HOF semifinalists

Posted on | by Field Level Media

In their first year on the ballot, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Larry Fitzgerald, Frank Gore and Jason Witten are semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026.

They were among the 26 modern era candidates announced on Tuesday, a list that will be whittled down to 15 finalists by a 50-member selection committee.

Four returning finalists are already locked into the last 15 after reaching the final seven in 2025: Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri.

Eight others are returning finalists: Eli Manning, Fred Taylor, Steve Smith Sr., Reggie Wayne, Jahri Evans, Marshal Yanda, Terrell Suggs and Darren Woodson.

The other nine semifinalists, including first-timers Lomas Brown and Kevin Williams, are Hines Ward, Richmond Webb, Steve Wisniewski, Rodney Harrison, Earl Thomas, Vince Wilfork and Robert Mathis.

In addition to voting on 15 modern era finalists before the Super Bowl in February, the selection committee will consider three seniors, one coach and one contributor.

Between four and eight new members will become the Class of 2026. In the first year of this format in 2025 only four men got in.

Brees trails only Tom Brady on the all-time list for passing yards (80,358) and touchdown passes (571) and led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl XLIV title.

Fitzgerald ranks second only to Jerry Rice in receiving yards (17,492) and receptions (1,432) and played his entire career with the Arizona Cardinals.

Rivers was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection who played 16 of his 17 seasons with the San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers and passed for 63,440 yards and 421 TDs.

Gore ranks third on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 16,000 yards, trailing only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. He was named to five Pro Bowls.

Witten made 11 Pro Bowls, played 16 of his 17 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and ranks No. 2 among tight ends in receptions (1,228) and receiving yards (13,046).

–Field Level Media

Saints quarterback Drew Brees his former teammate and successor with the Chargers, quarterback Philip Rivers (17) are among 2026 Hall of Fame nominees. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald among 2026 HOF candidates

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Former Chargers teammates Philip Rivers and Drew Brees are among first ballot modern-era candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 announced Wednesday.

Brees, who went on to win a Super Bowl and reach prolific production levels as a quarterback with the New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, tight ends Jason Witten and Greg Olsen and linebacker Thomas Davis also are on the list of newly eligible candidates with a total of 128 modern-era players receiving nominations.

At least three of the candidates will make of the Hall of Fame class announced before Super Bowl LX in February in Santa Clara, Calif.

The nominees are narrowed by the Hall of Fame selection committee to 25 semifinalists during the regular season.

From there a vote to reduce the list to 15 finalists among modern-era candidates is held and ultimately the class of 3-5, as stipulated by Hall of Fame rules, is decided from a list of seven during an annual selection meeting held Super Bowl week.

Only 11 true open spots exist because of the automatic advancement of candidates who reached the “final seven” vote last year.

Several of the quarterbacks eligible for the Hall are intertwined.

In 2004, Rivers was drafted and traded to the Chargers from the New York Giants for Eli Manning, another Super Bowl winner eligible for induction. Manning, selected No. 1 by the Chargers, was in the final 15 for the Class of 2025 in his first year of eligibility. When Brees became a free agent after the 2005 season, the Chargers offered less than he expected, opening the door for the Saints to sign Brees. He played in New Orleans until retiring in 2020.

Brees was Super Bowl XLIX MVP, a 13-time Pro Bowl selection and retired with 571 career touchdown passes and over 80,000 passing yards.

Rivers was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection in his 17 NFL seasons, all but one of which came with the Chargers. He played for the Colts in 2020.

Manning won Super Bowl XLII (2008) and Super Bowl XLVI (2012) with the Giants, beating seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady both times.

Former Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, wide receivers Torry Holt (Rams), Reggie Wayne (Colts) and Steve Smith Sr. (Panthers, Ravens), offensive tackle Willie Anderson, guards Mashal Yanda (Ravens) and Jahri Evans (Saints), linebackers Luke Kuechly (Panthers) and Terrell Suggs (Ravens, Cardinals), safety Darren Woodson (Cowboys) and kicker Adam Vinatieri (Patriots, Colts) also are returning 2025 finalists who weren’t selected.

Pro Football Hall of Fame selection bylaws automatically advance any players who were in the final seven vote the prior year. This year, Anderson, Holt, Kuechly and Vinatieri begin the process in the final 15 for 2026.

–Field Level Media

Oct 8, 2022; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald gestures to the referees in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Ryan Field. Wisconsin defeated Northwestern 42-7. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Northwestern and ex-coach Pat Fitzgerald settle suit

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Northwestern has reached a settlement in former football coach Pat Fitzgerald’s wrongful termination lawsuit.

Terms were not disclosed but Fitzgerald’s attorneys called it a “satisfactory settlement” on Thursday, per ESPN.

Fitzgerald sued the university for $130 million in October 2023. He was fired in July 2023 amid allegations of hazing within the Wildcats’ program.

“For the past two years, I have engaged in a process of extensive fact and expert discovery, which showed what I have known and said all along-that I had no knowledge of hazing ever occurring in the Northwestern football program and that I never directed or encouraged hazing in any way,” Fitzgerald said in a statement on Thursday.

Fitzgerald, 50, acknowledged that hazing did occur during his tenure as head coach at his alma mater from 2006-22 but that he was unaware of the problem at the time.

“I am extremely disappointed that members of the team engaged in this behavior and that no one reported it to me,” he said, “so that I could have alerted Northwestern’s Athletic Department and administrators, stopped the inappropriate behavior, and taken every necessary step to protect Northwestern’s student athletes.”

Fitzgerald, an All-American linebacker at Northwestern in the mid-1990s, compiled a 110-101 record over 17 seasons on the sideline in Evanston, Ill. His Wildcats were 5-5 in bowl games.

A statement released by the university said Fitzgerald did not condone or direct the hazing.

“While the litigation brought to light highly inappropriate conduct in the football program and the harm it caused, the evidence uncovered during extensive discovery did not establish that any player reported hazing to Coach Fitzgerald or that Coach Fitzgerald condoned or directed any hazing,” the statement read. “Moreover, when presented with the details of the conduct, he was incredibly upset and saddened by the negative impact this conduct had on players within the program.”

Fitzgerald’s case had been scheduled to go to trial in November.

“The rush to judgment in the media in July of 2023 and the reports that suggested I knew about and directed hazing are false and have caused me, my wife, and my three sons great stress, embarrassment, and reputational harm in the last two years,” Fitzgerald said. “Though I maintain Northwestern had no legal basis to terminate my employment for cause under the terms of my Employment Agreement, in the interest of resolving this matter and, in particular, to relieve my family from the stress of ongoing litigation, Northwestern and I have agreed to a settlement, and I am satisfied with the terms of the settlement.”

More than 50 former student-athletes filed lawsuits related to the hazing scandal. Northwestern settled the last 34 of those suits in May.

–Field Level Media

Abilene High defensive back DeMarco Upshaw intercepts a pass meant for Aledo wide receiver Kaydon Finley during Friday s Region I-5A Div. I final in Stephenville Dec. 1, 2023. Final score was 56-21, Aledo.

WR Kaydon Finley shuns dad’s alma mater, picks Notre Dame

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Four-star wide receiver Kaydon Finley has committed to Notre Dame’s 2026 recruiting class.

He is the son of former NFL tight end Jermichael Finley, who played his college ball at Texas before being selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He spent all six of his NFL seasons with Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl.

Kaydon Finley is ranked by the 247Sports composite as the No. 14 wide receiver in the 2026 class and the No. 15 player in prospect-rich Texas.

He plays at Aledo High School and tallied 81 receptions for 1,432 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2024. He had nine 100-yard games.

Finley took an official visit to his father’s alma mater two weeks ago. He also made official trips to Texas A&M, Louisville and Arizona State, as well as Notre Dame.

Notre Dame’s 2026 schedule shows the first possible game Finley could play with the Irish would be Sept. 6 against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.

247Sports projects that the Irish will land the commitment of another NFL legacy this weekend — Devin Fitzgerald, the son of former Arizona Cardinals great Larry Fitzgerald.

The younger Fitzgerald is a three-star receiver from Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix. His father played at Pitt.

Notre Dame’s 2026 class currently is ranked No. 3 by the 247Sports composite, trailing Southern California and Georgia. It is anchored by a pair of five-star prospects — edge Rodney Dunham of Charlotte, N.C., and safety Joey O’Brien of Pennsylvania.

–Field Level Media

Jul 26, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Northwestern Wildcats interim head coach David Braun speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Northwestern AD Derrick Gragg upset over ‘Cats Against the World’ shirts

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg is disappointed that coaches and staff members wore shirts on Wednesday that were apparently in support of former coach Pat Fitzgerald in the wake of allegations of hazing in the program.

The shirts read “Cats Against the World” and displayed the number 51 — Fitzgerald’s jersey number when he was a star player at Northwestern.

Said interim coach David Braun: “It is not my business to censor anyone’s free speech.”

The tone from Gragg was much different.

“I am extremely disappointed that a few members of our football program staff decided to wear ‘Cats Against the World’ shirts,” Gragg said in a statement. “Neither I nor the university was aware that they owned or would wear these shirts today. The shirts are inappropriate, offensive and tone deaf.

“Let me be crystal clear: Hazing has no place at Northwestern, and we are committed to do whatever is necessary to address hazing-related issues, including thoroughly investigating any incidents or allegations of hazing or any other misconduct.”

News that the Northwestern football program was being investigated for hazing surfaced in January with the school later saying it received a complaint in November alleging instances of hazing inside the locker room.

But the turmoil exploded when Fitzgerald was suspended in July and later fired.

A player then came forward to the student newspaper, the Daily Northwestern, and revealed that the investigation was not just into allegations of hazing, but alleged coerced sexual acts.

On Wednesday, current Northwestern players said they were not discussing the hazing situation and were focused on the 2023 season.

“We’re not addressing any past hazing allegations,” linebacker Bryce Gallagher told reporters. “What I can tell you is right now we have a great culture in our locker room and the guys are really sticking together through all this. The older guys are really just focused on helping these younger guys out, helping each other get through this, and just leaning on our relationships.”

Northwestern players went through a mandatory anti-hazing seminar last week while Braun said hazing won’t be part of the team environment moving forward. Braun said only seven players entered the transfer portal during the 30-day window after Fitzgerald’s firing.

Defensive back Rod Heard II said that togetherness is a big foundation of the program.

“It just shows that what we have here is valued,” Heard told reporters. “The players that stayed, they want to be here. And the players that left, we fully support their decision in doing so.”

Fitzgerald spent 26 years with the Wildcats — four as a player, five as an assistant and 17 as head coach — and is a member of the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.

He was a two-time consensus All-American linebacker during his playing stint from 1993-96. He was one of the stars of the Northwestern squad that stunningly won the Big Ten crown in 1995 but he missed the Rose Bowl loss to Southern California due to a broken leg.

Fitzgerald, 48, was 110-101 with 10 bowl appearances (5-5 record) in 17 seasons as head coach. The Wildcats were 1-11 in 2022.

Northwestern opens the 2023 season at Rutgers on Sept. 3.

–Field Level Media

Oct 29, 2022; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald looks on during the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Northwestern to have 2 external reviews after Pat Fitzgerald firing

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Northwestern will launch two separate, external reviews into its athletic department in the aftermath of investigations that led the university to fire football coach Pat Fitzgerald and baseball coach Jim Foster, it announced Tuesday.

Northwestern president Michael Schill said in a letter to the university community that the reviews were a matter of accountability, and the results of both will be made public.

One review will focus on the university’s “ability to detect threats to the welfare of student-athletes,” while the other will center on the culture of the athletic department as a whole.

“I write to you today to give you my commitment that I will continue to do whatever is necessary to address this situation and ensure that our athletic program remains one you can be proud of and one that is fully aligned with and reflects our values,” Schill wrote in part. “Equally important, I give you my commitment that we will redouble our efforts to safeguard the welfare of each and every student-athlete at Northwestern.”

At least one lawsuit has been filed against the university, Schill, Fitzgerald and other Northwestern trustees alleging they were negligent in letting a culture of hazing fester in the football program.

A growing group of 12 former players have retained attorney Ben Crump to pursue legal action. According to ESPN, news conferences with Crump and other attorneys working the case are scheduled for Wednesday morning in Chicago.

Fitzgerald’s attorney, Dan Webb, released a statement Tuesday evening addressing the ex-coach being named in a John Doe complaint.

“Instead of making actual detailed factual allegations about Coach Fitzgerald’s conduct, the complaint makes a variety of broad-based and sweeping allegations ‘upon information and belief,’ without citing any specific facts or evidence,” Webb wrote in part.

“Nothing in the John Doe complaint comes close to contradicting the conclusions of the months-long investigation led by Attorney Maggie Hickey — that Coach Fitzgerald had no knowledge whatsoever of any form of hazing within the Northwestern Football Program.”

Fitzgerald was fired for cause July 10 after initially being suspended for two weeks without pay. Fitzgerald is also mulling legal action against the school for breach of contract.

In announcing Fitzgerald’s termination, Schill said players were exposed to “forced participation, nudity and sexualized acts of a degrading nature, in clear violation of Northwestern policies and values.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 25, 2021; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats athletic director Derrick Gragg on the sidelines during the second half against the Ohio Bobcats at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Northwestern to keep assistant coaches for 2023

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After firing head coach Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern will retain the rest of its football coaching staff, the school told multiple media outlets Tuesday.

Northwestern did not name an interim head coach Monday when announcing Fitzgerald would not return. Defensive coordinator David Braun, however, is filling in as a “liaison” and could be elevated to interim coach, reports said.

Braun was hired in January after working as the defensive coordinator at FCS powerhouse North Dakota State from 2019-22.

Athletic director Derrick Gragg returned to campus Tuesday to address the football team in person. Gragg had been out of the country on vacation and held a Zoom call Monday night to reveal the Fitzgerald decision without taking questions from players.

University president Michael Schill did not attend that meeting, leading some players to tell ESPN and Rivals that they felt the administration’s handling of the matter was “cowardly” and disrespectful.

Fitzgerald, head coach at Northwestern since 2006, was fired on Monday with $42 million remaining on his contract. That decision came three days after the original discipline for Fitzgerald was a two-week suspension without pay, all stemming from an independent investigation that found hazing allegations were “largely supported by evidence.”

A player came forward to the student newspaper, the Daily Northwestern, and revealed that the hazing allegedly included coerced sexual acts. Fitzgerald was also accused of presiding over a “culture of enabling racism.”

–Field Level Media

A Ryan Field renovation project at Northwestern with an estimated cost of $800 million is a new target of university faculty. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch Ncaa Football Ohio State Buckeyes At Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern faculty call for release of investigation findings

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Northwestern faculty formally requested the university make public the findings of the hazing investigation that led to the dismissal of head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

In a letter to the university president and other school officials, a group of six faculty at the private university and residents of Evanston, Ill., called for the delay of a planned $800 million renovation to Ryan Field, the Wildcats’ football stadium.

Fitzgerald, head coach at Northwestern since 2006, was fired on Monday with $42 million remaining on his contract. That decision came three days after the original discipline for Fitzgerald was a two-week suspension without pay, all stemming from an independent investigation that found hazing allegations were “largely supported by evidence.”

A player came forward to the student newspaper, the Daily Northwestern, and revealed that the investigation was not just into allegations of hazing, but alleged coerced sexual acts.

Fitzgerald was also accused of presiding over a “culture of enabling racism.”

There have also been calls for support for Fitzgerald from some former players and alumni.

University president Michael Schill wrote a letter to the Northwestern community Saturday night admitting that the school “may have erred” in the severity of its discipline. Schill then confirmed reports of Fitzgerald’s firing with another letter Monday evening.

“This afternoon, I informed Head Football Coach Pat Fitzgerald that he was being relieved of his duties effective immediately,” Schill wrote Monday. “The decision comes after a difficult and complex evaluation of my original discipline decision imposed last week on Coach Fitzgerald for his failure to know and prevent significant hazing in the football program.”

Schill said he spent “a great deal of time” discussing the matter with the board of trustees, faculty, students, alumni “and Coach Fitzgerald himself.”

Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg, a former NCAA executive and AD at Tulsa and Eastern Michigan University, was in contact with Schill while on a scheduled overseas vacation, which he reportedly returned from Tuesday. He is reportedly scheduled to meet with the team later Tuesday.

Gragg took over in June 2021 after the resignation of Mike Polisky, previously deputy AD at Northwestern, just days into the job. Polisky stepped down in May 2021 after being named in a sexual harassment lawsuit by former Wildcats cheerleaders.

–Field Level Media

Oct 30, 2022; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick before the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

The Great One: 5 Reasons Bill Belichick is the best

Posted on | by Field Level Media

With Bill Belichick recording his 325th win Sunday to eclipse George Halas for second place on the NFL’s all-time wins list behind Don Shula (347) — it’s time to put the argument about who is the greatest NFL coach to rest.

Spoiler alert: It’s Belichick.

Why is The Hoodie No. 1?

Here are five reasons:

–Turning a franchise around: It’s no secret that the before times (pre-Belichick) were mainly bad — really bad — times for the Patriots.

The team made only four playoff appearances from their inception in 1960 to 1984 while posting 12 losing seasons and winning just two division titles. The Patriots were crushed by the Bears in Super Bowl XX, almost moved to St. Louis in 1994 after five consecutive double-digit-loss seasons and were throttled by the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI.

A few years after that loss to the Packers, Belichick came along and transformed the once moribund franchise into an unprecedented two-decade dynasty.

–Playoff success: Belichick’s numbers during his Patriots tenure speak for themselves, and no other coach comes close to these astounding numbers: six Super Bowl titles in nine appearances, 17 AFC East titles, 13 AFC title game appearances and no losing seasons from 2001-19.

Belichick’s Patriots are also one of only two teams to win three Super Bowls in four years (Dallas Cowboys, 1993-96). Not to mention he’s the record holder for playoff wins with 31 — 11 more than Tom Landry, the next coach on the list. Just another record that won’t be touched.

–Best coach-QB combo: As great a coach and strategist as Belichick is, he needs his players to perform. Luckily for him and the Patriots, Tom Brady stepped in for an injured Drew Bledsoe in 2001 and guided the team to its first Super Bowl win, a stunning upset of the heavily favored St. Louis Rams.

That was just the beginning, as the Patriots appeared in half of all Super Bowls played during Brady’s 18 seasons as the starter and won two-thirds of those. Brady and Belichick also hold the records for the most Super Bowl appearances and victories by a player and head coach.

No other coach-QB combo comes close, though Bill Walsh and Joe Montana were a formidable duo with the 1980s San Francisco 49ers. The Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are an impressive current combo but have a long way to go.

–Legends of the fall: Sure, Halas was a football pioneer who founded the Chicago Bears, and the Super Bowl trophy is named for Green Bay Packers icon Vince Lombardi. Shula remains the winningest coach and Landry, Chuck Noll and Paul Brown won multiple titles and left lasting legacies, but Belichick stands alone.

None of those coaches can touch Belichick’s resume. Let’s examine: Along with 324 wins, Halas guided his teams to six titles and is a charter member of the Pro Football of Fame. He likely comes closest, while Lombardi, who won five championships in Green Bay (including the first two Super Bowls), had his career cut short at age 57 when he died of cancer in 1970.

A few also enjoyed lengthy careers, namely Shula and Landry (two Super Bowl wins each), but often came up short in the postseason. Noll won four Super Bowls with the Steelers in a six-season span in the 1970s, but that was the end of his success. Brown won three NFL championships with the Browns in the 1950s, but none in his last 20 years as a coach.

–Respect from peers, opponents: While Belichick has displayed his reverence for the history of football, his fellow coaches and opposing players have done the same for him.

“He’s the best coach of all time,” Packers quarterback and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers said this season. “He’s a legend, a living legend, and he’s been ahead of the game for a long, long time.”

When a player of Rodgers’ caliber, along with coaches Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott — and Duke basketball legend Mike Krzyzewski — are offering platitudes toward Belichick, it shows how much they respect his body of work, which will never be equaled.

–By Liam Fitzgerald, Field Level Media

Nov 15, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) against the Buffalo Bills at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals’ Fitzgerald dropped 9 pounds, updated will fighting COVID

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Larry Fitzgerald lost nine pounds and updated his will during his recent bout with COVID-19.

The Arizona Cardinals wide receiver said Thursday his sense of smell and taste haven’t returned.

Because of the symptoms he experienced, Fitzgerald said it was “tough not to be concerned” about his fate.

“I got my estate planning done again, revised my will. I did a lot of stuff,” Fitzgerald said. “When you’re sitting home and watching how many people are dying every day from it, you really re-evaluate things.”

Fitzgerald, 37, was put on the league’s reserve/COVID-19 list on Nov. 26 and activated on Tuesday. He’s expected to be active Sunday against the New York Giants.

“He is a tremendous leader and presence for us, obviously,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “He brings a level of confidence because of what he’s accomplished and what he can do on the field, there’s no doubt.”

Arizona lost to the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots with Fitzgerald sidelined, and quarterback Kyler Murray said Wednesday that the Cardinals’ offense hasn’t been quite right without the future Hall of Fame wide receiver.

Fitzgerald has 43 receptions for 336 yards in 2020.

–Field Level Media