Northwestern Athletics Director Derrick Gragg is being moved to an athletics advisory job at the university, Northwestern announced Thursday.
The university will begin a search for its new athletics director immediately, with Gragg remaining in his current role until the school hires its next AD.
“The appointment of Derrick to VP of Athletic Strategy reflects Northwestern’s recognition that college athletics is currently undergoing a fundamental paradigm shift, which includes changes to NIL rights, conference realignment, and revenue sharing considerations,” Northwestern spokesperson Eliza Larson said in a statement. “Derrick’s unique experience and background positions him well for this newly created role and allows the University not only to navigate challenges but also to lead the way and seize opportunities ahead.”
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Two people briefed on the decision said Gragg was being “tactfully shifted aside,” as one put it, rather than outright fired.
Gragg was hired in June 2021, following eight years as the AD at Tulsa and a brief stint at the NCAA, after longtime Northwestern AD Jim Phillips left to be commissioner of the ACC. Northwestern had initially promoted in-house candidate Mike Polisky, but he stepped down after student backlash over his handling of sexual harassment allegations in the cheerleading program.
Gragg first made waves the following spring when he issued an unusual ultimatum for improvement to then-embattled men’s basketball coach Chris Collins. Collins proceeded to lead the Wildcats to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in school history. Collins received a three-year contract extension in May 2023.
In July 2023, though, Gragg became ensnared in multiple controversies.
First and foremost, the university reversed course and fired longtime football coach Pat Fitzgerald amidst an explosive hazing scandal after initially suspending him for two weeks. Gragg was on vacation at the time and delivered the news to the team via Zoom.
Fitzgerald has since filed a $130 million wrongful termination suit against the university.
Upon Fitzgerald’s firing, Northwestern promoted new defensive coordinator David Braun to interim head coach. Braun went on to win Big Ten Coach of the Year honors after leading the Wildcats to a turnaround from 1-11 to 8-5. Gragg gave Braun the full-time job on Nov. 15, after a 5-5 start.
At nearly the same time the football hazing details broke, another scandal erupted involving baseball coach Jim Foster, whom Gragg had hired the previous year from Army. The Chicago Tribune reported that a university investigation months earlier had substantiated allegations of “bullying and abusive behavior” by Foster, yet he had remained employed. Gragg fired him a few days after the public disclosure.
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Later that month, the Tribune published a story about an advice book for young men that Gragg had published while at Tulsa that included controversial passages about women. One chapter was titled: “Women: Our Greatest Distraction.”
But university president Michael Schill said at the time there was “no conversation” about firing Gragg.
Northwestern had considerable athletics success in 2023-24 beyond football and men’s basketball, with field hockey and women’s lacrosse reaching national title games. The school has also begun construction on a new $800 million football stadium that will open in 2026.
Gragg faced criticism for how long it took the school to finalize its plans for hosting games this coming season. In April, it announced the construction of a temporary 15,000-seat on-campus venue, which will host all but two home games in 2024. The other two will be at Wrigley Field.
Despite the Wildcats’ recent on-the-field success, one of the people with knowledge of the decision said booster pressure ultimately contributed to Gragg’s ouster.
(Photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)