Northwestern fires baseball coach Jim Foster after probe reportedly finds 'bullying and abusive behavior'
Update:
On July 26, Northwestern president Michael Schill told The Daily Northwestern that Foster was not fired but instead placed on "indefinite suspension."
“He wasn’t fired,” Schill told the Daily. “He won’t be coaching again.”
The initial statement announcing the regime change stated that Foster had been "relieved of his duties," the same language the university used when announcing that football coach Pat Fitzgerald had been fired.
The verbiage used by athletic director Derrick Gragg on July 13 —“relieved of his duties” — is the same phrase Schill used in a July 10 release announcing he fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald. pic.twitter.com/Mj88EPkIzd
— The Daily Northwestern (@thedailynu) July 27, 2023
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Northwestern fired baseball coach Jim Foster on Thursday after an internal probe revealed he reportedly engaged in "bullying and abusive behavior."
The decision arrives three days after Northwestern fired longtime football head coach Pat Fitzgerald amid a hazing scandal.
The university announced Foster's dismissal in a statement from athletic director Derrick Gragg.
"Nothing will ever be more important to Northwestern than providing its students a place that allows them to develop in the classroom, in the community, and in competition at the absolute highest level, and building a culture which allows our staff to thrive," the statement reads. "This has been an ongoing situation and many factors were considered before reaching this resolution.
"As the director of athletics, I take ownership of our head coaching hires and we will share our next steps as they unfold."
Foster's ouster arrives after a Chicago Tribune report found current and former players, alumni and people close to the baseball program accused Foster of problematic behavior dating back to last fall, when the first-year coach joined the program. The complaints prompted an internal investigation that revealed “sufficient evidence” Foster “engaged in bullying and abusive behavior," according to a university document obtained by the Tribune.
Per the document, Foster "made an inappropriate comment regarding a female staff member, and spoke negatively about his staff to other staff members.” The document didn't go into further details about the complaints, the Tribune reports. Sources close to the program told the Tribune that Foster would direct expletive-laced tirades at his staff and pressured players to return early from injury or risk losing their spots in the lineup.
Hitting coach and recruiting coordinator Dusty Napoleon, pitching coach Jon Strauss and operations director Chris Beacom all left the team during the season prior to the revelation of the allegations against Foster. Northwestern finished 10-40 this season, and 16 players entered the transfer portal at the end of the season, according to the Tribune.
The Tribune published the report Monday. Three days later, Foster was fired.
Foster joined Northwestern in 2022 after six seasons as the head coach at Army. Assistant coach Brian Anderson will take the program over "during this time of transition," according to the university.
