>>> THE ALLEGATIONS ARE DISTURBING.

FORMER NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETES SAY THE HAZING THEY ENDURED DURING THEIR PLAYING DAYS WAS DRAMATIC.

ACCORDING TO ONE LAWSUIT, IT CAUSED PHYSICAL AS WELL AS PSYCHOLOGICAL HARM.

HERE IS FLOYD GATES.

>> NUDITY, PERFORMING ACTS WHILE BEING NUDE, SO NORMALIZED IN THE CULTURE.

COMING FROM HIGH SCHOOL, WE NEVER DID ANY OF THAT STUFF.

WE JUST THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS, YOU KNOW, PART OF BEING, YOU KNOW, PLAYING COLLEGE FOOTBALL.

PLAYING BIG TEN.

WE WANTED TO BE ACCEPTED.

>> JOINING US NOW ARE TWO ATTORNEYS FOR FORMER NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY ATHLETES.

STEPHEN IS REPRESENTING FORMER FOOTBALL PLAYERS, BEN CRUMP, AND JENNIFER , WHO REPRESENTS THE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS WHO FILED YESTERDAY.

WE INVITED UNIVERSITIES TO NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, BUT THEY DECLINED.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

STEVE, LET'S START WITH YOU.

THIS SCANDAL HAS BEEN CALLED THE ME TOO OF COLLETT HAZING.

HOW MANY ATHLETES ARE WE POTENTIALLY TALKING ABOUT ?

>> POTENTIALLY, HUNDREDS OF ATHLETES DID WHAT WAS BEING ALLEGED IN THE LAWSUIT, THIS ALL GOES BACK DECADES.

IN THE FOOTBALL PROGRAM IN PARTICULAR IT WAS RITUALIZED AND IT HAD ITS OWN SICK TRADITIONS.

IT HAD ITS NAMES FOR THE VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE SEXUALLY-HUMILIATING ACTS THAT THE PLAYERS WERE FORCED TO GO THROUGH.

IT IS HARD TO TELL HOW MANY PEOPLE.

IT APPEARED TO OCCUR EVERY YEAR, IN EVERY CLASS , POTENTIALLY EVEN MORE.

>> IF IT GOES BACK THAT FAR, IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO HAVE HAPPENED UNDER PREVIOUS COACHES AND DIRECTORS AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY.

>> IT IS ALL BELIEVED THAT THIS IS AN INSTITUTIONAL PROBLEM.

THIS IS A NORTHWESTERN PROBLEM.

THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIALS, AND COACHES , THEY HAVE COACHED THESE ATHLETES OVER THE COURSE OF MANY YEARS.

WE ARE NOT FOCUSING ON ANY INDIVIDUAL, WE ARE FOCUSED ON THE INSTITUTION.

>> JENNIFER CASCIO, YOU ARE THE FIRST WOMAN TO REPRESENT THE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS AT NORTHWESTERN.

WHAT IS THIS ALL TELLING YOU ABOUT HOW SERIOUSLY THE UNIVERSITY WAS TAKING THE ALLEGATION THAT THE TIME ?

>> I THINK IT TELLS US THAT, OBVIOUSLY, THEY WERE NOT TAKING IT VERY SERIOUSLY.

THE COACH WITNESSED THE HAZING.

HE WAS SUSPENDED DID AFTER HE WAS SUSPENDED, THE CONTRACT WAS RENEWED AND THERE WAS GLOWING REMARKS ABOUT HIM WHEN THE CONTRACT WAS RENEWED.

THERE WAS NO MENTION OF THE HAZING INCIDENT PUBLICLY.

THERE WAS NOTHING SHARED WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF OTHER ATHLETIC PROGRAMS.

WHAT THAT TELLS US, THERE WAS A REAL LACK OF TRANSPARENCY.

THAT IS WHAT IS EVIDENT.

THERE WAS NO TRANSPARENCY INTO THE INCIDENT STICK THAT OCCURRED, AS WELL AS OTHER PROGRAMS.

>> FORMER COACH FITZGERALD DECLINED TO JOIN US.

WE DID RECEIVE A STATEMENT FROM NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY THAT READS, SHORTLY AFTER LEARNING THE RESULT OF THE INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO THE HAZING ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM, THE UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCED A NUMBER OF STEPS INCLUDING THE MONITORING OF THE FOOTBALL LOCKER ROOM AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ONLINE REPORTING TOOL.

THESE STEPS, WHILE NECESSARY AND APPROPRIATE, ARE JUST THE START.

THEY WANT TO PLACE APPROPRIATE ACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN THEIR ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT.

THEY WANT TO DETECT THREATS TO THE WELFARE OF THE STUDENT ATHLETES.

DO YOU THINK NORTHWESTERN IS DOING ENOUGH?

WHAT KIND OF ACCOUNTABILITY WOULD YOUR CLIENTS LIKE TO SEE?

>> I THINK WE SHOULD START WITH THE FACT THAT THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR COULD'VE BEEN STOPPED INSTANTLY.

IF THE PEOPLE WHO RUN THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT TALKED TO EVERY GROUP OF STUDENT ATHLETES WHO CAME IN EVERY YEAR AND SAID HAZING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED, IF YOU ARE HAZING, YOU WILL BE EXPELLED FROM THE PROGRAM, THAT WOULD HAVE PUT AN END TO IT.

AS WE KNOW, THAT NEVER HAPPENED.

IT IS GOOD THAT NORTHWESTERN IS TAKING ACTION.

HOPEFULLY, THEY HAVE INFORMED EACH OF THE DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT, AGAIN, THAT HAZING WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.

BUT IT IS SAD IF YOU THINK THAT THE FACT IS, A MAJOR UNIVERSITY IS DEPENDENT UPON MONITORING LOCKER ROOMS TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT ENGAGING IN BEHAVIOR THAT IS INAPPROPRIATE.

THEY HAVE AN ANTI-HAZING POLICY AT NORTHWESTERN THAT IS VERY STRICT.

ALL THEY NEEDED TO DO WAS ENFORCE IT.

AND TO CONSTANTLY PUT THIS ON THE STUDENT ATHLETES, WHO ARE THE VICTIMS, AND NOT THE COACHES.

ONE OF THE HEADS OF EACH DEPARTMENT SAID EVERY COACH, HAZING IS NOT TOLERATED, BE ON THE LOOKOUT.

IF YOU SEE IT, STOP IT.

THAT IS WHERE IT SHOULD START, ON THE FRONT END, NOT THE BAKKEN.

>> WE KNOW THAT MEMBERS OF THE NORTHWESTERN FOOTBALL TEAM THEMSELVES HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING THEY DO NOT TOLERATE HAZING.

NOW , JENNIFER CASCIO, ONLY A FEW PLAYERS HAVE IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES PUBLICLY.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS?

>> WHAT THEIR REQUEST FOR ANONYMITY REALLY TELLS US IS HOW SERIOUS THE EFFECTS ARE ON THESE STUDENT ATHLETES AND THE CULTURE OF NORTHWESTERN AS AN INSTITUTION.

THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO WANT TO SPEAK OUT BUT THEY ARE INCREDIBLY FEARFUL ABOUT THE REPERCUSSIONS THAT COULD BE HAD ON THEM.

AS WELL AS WITH THE FEMALE ATHLETES, THE SAME ISSUE.

SHE WAS RETALIATED AGAINST.

THAT WAS THE OFFICIAL CONCLUSION, THAT SHE WAS RETALIATED AGAINST.

ALL OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WILL HAVE SERIOUS REPERCUSSIONS FOR COMING OUT.

THAT IS NOT BECAUSE OF ANYTHING THAT THEY HAD DONE.

IT IS BECAUSE OF THE CULTURE AND THE INSTITUTIONALIZED, SYSTEMIC FEAR AND HARASSMENT THAT