The Chicago Bears kick off the season Sunday by taking on the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Former Bears tight end Emery Moorehead, a member of the 1985 Super Bowl championship team, joined “Chicago Tonight” to preview the season.
Football
To fully fund renovations without direct taxpayer subsidies, Northwestern University said it needs revenue from at least six concerts. Many Evanston neighbors, however, are pushing back on that proposal. The issue is so divisive that a City Council meeting this week is expected to last several days.
No Power Five conference has tended to rely more on defense and the running game than the Big Ten. The arrival of Southern California, UCLA, Oregon and Washington next year just might change that.
Researchers found about 40% of the brains studied had developed some of the earliest signs of the disease, which is associated with repeated head trauma. The study also includes what researchers believe to be the first case of an American female athlete diagnosed with the disease.
Northwestern University is facing more than a dozen lawsuits across multiple sports with allegations including sexual abuse of players by teammates as well as racist comments by coaches and race-based assaults.
Examining the rapidly unfolding hazing scandal that led to the firing of Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald and threw the university into turmoil.
Northwestern Athletic Director Blasts Football Staffers for ‘Tone Deaf’ Shirts Supporting Fitzgerald
Northwestern is facing more than a dozen lawsuits across multiple sports with allegations including sexual abuse of players by teammates as well as racist comments by coaches and race-based assaults. Attorneys representing some of the athletes who have already sued say more are coming.
Ramon Diaz said he was the only Latino offensive lineman on the team at a time when the athletic department’s culture allowed racist and sexual abuse to thrive and caused psychological and emotional damage to athletes of color.
Pending litigation caused the three hand-picked players to skip Wednesday interviews, forcing interim coach David Braun to fend off questions about what happened and possible solutions all by himself.
A group of 15 ex-Northwestern athletes represented by civil rights lawyer Ben Crump and Chicago-based colleagues say they plan to file suit against the university in the near future.
The player, identified in the lawsuit as John Doe, alleged Tuesday in the Cook County Court in Chicago that Fitzgerald, Northwestern University President Michael Schill, the board of trustees and athletic director Derrick Gragg enabled and concealed sexual misconduct and racial discrimination.
Northwestern Professors Urge University Officials to Halt $800M Stadium Amid Football Hazing Scandal
“Over the past decade, Northwestern has made major and high-profile investments in athletics. But disturbing evidence of harassment and abuse — and high-level efforts to minimize those problems — suggest that we need to get the existing house in order before expanding it,” six university professors wrote.
“Since Friday, I have kept going back to what we should reasonably expect from our head coaches, our faculty and our campus leaders,” Northwestern President Michael Schill said in a statement Monday evening. “And that is what led me to make this decision. The head coach is ultimately responsible for the culture of his team.
The investigation determined that Fitzgerald and other coaching staff members did not know about the hazing, but “there had been opportunities for them to discover and report the hazing conduct,” the university said in a news release.
The Chicago Bears have been stymied thus far in plans to win tax breaks to build a new stadium in Arlington Heights. That’s opened the door to other communities to try and lure the team, but Chicago might still be in the game. Could the city come up with a late comeback and lure the Bears to stay?
Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Bears President Kevin Warren met Wednesday, a clear sign that relations between the city and the Monsters of the Midway have thawed, which may set the stage for talks to keep the team in Chicago, if not at Soldier Field.
