What Peter Skoronski said about Northwestern football hazing allegations, Pat Fitzgerald firing
Tennessee Titans rookie offensive lineman Peter Skoronski admits he was surprised by Northwestern's decision to fire long-time coach Pat Fitzgerald in the wake of a hazing scandal.
"Yeah I’m definitely surprised by that," Skoronski said after the first day of Titans training camp from Nashville on Wednesday.
Northwestern has been embroiled in controversy, scandal and lawsuits this summer stemming from allegations of hazing across its athletics department. Fitzgerald was dismissed as a result of the scandal, which has also spread to complaints about the baseball, softball and volleyball programs. A Northwestern investigation found 11 former and current players who alleged hazing within Fitzgerald's program.
Skoronski played at Northwestern from 2020-22, starting all three years. He was a unanimous All-America honoree in 2022, the first such player in Northwestern football history. The Titans selected Skoronski with the No. 11 pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
"I’ll just say I had a great college experience," Skoronski said. "I’m not going to comment much more on that. I’m focused on being a good teammate here with the Tennessee Titans, which is what I focused on in college too. I’m really just locked in on training camp for now."
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Skoronski added that the first few days after reports of the scandal surfaced were an "intense few days" but didn't elaborate beyond that.
Skoronski is starting at left guard for the Titans at the start of training camp, one of four new starters working with the first unit to begin the season.
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Peter Skoronski on Northwestern hazing allegations, Pat Fitzgerald
