Mike Bajakian, former Northwestern district coordinator, sues school for defamation

Former Northwestern University offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian has filed a lawsuit against the school for defamation and spreading false information over its actions during a bullying scandal that rocked the program last summer.

Bajakian, who was fired in December and now works as an offensive analyst at the University of Utah, filed a lawsuit against Northwestern, university president Michael Schell and athletic director Derek Gragg, alleging that Schell’s decision to fire coach Pat Fitzgerald, just days after he announced his two-week suspension and the results of his own outside investigation into the harassment allegations, cast Bajakian and other staff members “in a false and misleading light.”

Although Fitzgerald was the only member of the football staff fired in July 2023, Bajakian alleges that the university’s response “created, reinforced and encouraged a false and misleading narrative” about his conduct and that of others on the staff, and was done only in response to intense media pressure. Bajakian served as Northwestern’s offensive coordinator for the previous four seasons after serving as coordinator and/or quarterbacks coach with Boston College, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee, Cincinnati and Central Michigan.

According to the lawsuit, Bajakian lost his contract renewal, was unable to get a similar job and suffered reputational damage. Northwestern declined to comment on the lawsuit. David Brown, who was named Northwestern’s permanent coach in November after serving as interim coach, made several staff changes after an 8-5 season. Northwestern ranked 120th nationally in yards and 129th in scoring during Bajakian’s tenure.

Bajakian’s lawsuit also focuses on Gragg’s August 2023 statement criticizing staff and team members for wearing a “Cats Against the World” T-shirt and Fitzgerald’s jersey number (51) to school. The lawsuit alleges that Bajakian observed the T-shirts at team practices or practices throughout late July and early August that Northwestern officials attended without raising any objections. According to the lawsuit, Bajakian wore the T-shirt to team practice and engaged in a conversation with Gragg, who did not raise any objections.

But two days later, after photos of Bajakian and others wearing the shirts surfaced on social media at a football practice open to members of the media, Gragg issued a statement calling the shirts “inappropriate, offensive and not in keeping with the university’s taste.” Gragg claimed that neither he nor the university was aware of the shirts. He has not publicly named Bajakian.

“Derek Gragg has publicly defamed Michael Bajakian’s character and reputation, misled the public through his false statement, and caused actual harm,” Bajakian’s lawsuit states.

Fitzgerald has filed a $130 million lawsuit against Northwestern for unfair dismissal, and the university is also facing lawsuits from dozens of former athletes for bullying and abuse.