Northwestern football staffers wear shirts in support of fired coach Pat Fitzgerald at practice

By ANDREW SELIGMAN
AP Sports Writer

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) — Pat Fitzgerald’s presence was hard to miss even if he was nowhere near the field on Wednesday. Some Northwestern assistants and staff members paid tribute to the longtime coach and former Wildcats star linebacker who was fired last month amid a hazing scandal. They wore black shirts with “Cats Against the World” and his old number “51” in purple type, a show of solidarity that might also seem a bit tone deaf. Interim coach David Braun says it “isn’t my business to censor anybody’s free speech.” Northwestern is facing more than a dozen lawsuits across multiple sports with allegations including sexual abuse by teammates as well as racist comments.