CHICAGO — Northwestern University has relieved Jim Foster as head baseball coach days after news surfaced of controversy surrounding him.
Foster’s dismissal as coach one year into the job was announced to players on a video call Thursday afternoon with Northwestern University President Michael Schill and athletic director Derrick Gragg, sources told the Chicago Tribune. Assistant coach Brian Anderson, a former player for the Chicago White Sox, has been picked to lead the team in Foster’s place.
Foster could not be immediately reached for comment. University officials sent a statement from Gragg saying Foster had been “relieved of his duties effective immediately.”
“Nothing will ever be more important to Northwestern than providing its students a place that allows them to develop in the classroom, in the community, and in competition at the absolute highest level, and building a culture which allows our staff to thrive,” Gragg said in the statement. “This has been an ongoing situation and many factors were considered before reaching this resolution. As the Director of Athletics, I take ownership of our head coaching hires and we will share our next steps as they unfold.”
In a message to parents, obtained by the Tribune, Gragg said the decision was “weighted on multiple factors, including but not limited to, the authentic feedback we received from your student-athletes in postseason surveys.”
Foster’s departure comes days after the university let head football coach Pat Fitzgerald go amid a hazing scandal that Schill said caused significant damage to students and the university.
Current and former players, alumni and people close to the baseball program previously told the Tribune that they alerted university administration — including Schill and Gragg — of problematic behavior from Foster starting last fall before the team kicked off its 2023 season. At least some of those complaints spurred a human resources investigation.
The university’s investigation found “sufficient evidence” that Foster “engaged in bullying and abusive behavior,” according to an internal HR document obtained by the Tribune. The probe went on to conclude that Foster “made an inappropriate comment regarding a female staff member, and spoke negatively about his staff to other staff members.”
The HR document says that the results of the investigation were shared with leaders in the Department of Athletics and Recreation “to take appropriate remedial action.” It’s unclear what action the university took against Foster, who joined Northwestern after six years at Army West Point.