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Spartan Coach Settles $130 Million Lawsuit After Hazing Probe

7/30/2026

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Summary

Spartans Eye Title

Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald said Michigan State will win the Big Ten championship this season.
Michigan State will host Nebraska on Sept. 26, 2026, in its Big Ten game at Spartan Stadium.
ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Spartans a 32.7% chance of six wins, a 0.1% chance to win the Big Ten and a 0.8% playoff chance.
The preseason media poll ranked Michigan State No. 16, above Rutgers and Purdue.

Summary

Fitzgerald Settles Suit

Fitzgerald settled a $130 million wrongful-termination lawsuit with Northwestern in August 2025.
The hazing probe found forced acts but concluded he neither knew nor condoned them.
During a three-year break he volunteered at Loyola Academy, coaching his sons Ryan and Brendan and teaching route fundamentals.
A Midlothian, Illinois native and College Football Hall of Fame linebacker, he and his wife Stacy will move to East Lansing.

History

Historical Context

The Big Ten’s crackdown on compliance grew after the University of Michigan basketball scandal, where in 2002 the school self-imposed a postseason ban and later the NCAA accepted sanctions on May 8 2003, cutting scholarships and forcing disassociation with players until 2013. That episode, involving $616,000 in illegal loans, highlighted the conference’s push for stricter oversight of member programs.

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Spartans Eye Title

Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald said Michigan State will win the Big Ten championship this season.
Michigan State will host Nebraska on Sept. 26, 2026, in its Big Ten game at Spartan Stadium.
ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Spartans a 32.7% chance of six wins, a 0.1% chance to win the Big Ten and a 0.8% playoff chance.
The preseason media poll ranked Michigan State No. 16, above Rutgers and Purdue.

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