Shirts

Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg blasted assistant football coaches and staff members for wearing shirts supporting fired coach Pat Fitzgerald at practice Wednesday, calling them "inappropriate, offensive and tone deaf" given the hazing and abuse scandal engulfing the football program and other teams. Gragg says he and the university were unaware that the assistants and staff members owned the black shirts with "Cats Against the World" and Fitzgerald's old number "51" in purple type or would wear them at practice. He issued the statement after interim coach David Braun called it a free speech issue and said his focus was on supporting his players and staff.