Northwestern interim coach fends for himself as Wildcats players skip annual Big Ten kickoff

By MICHAEL MAROT
AP Sports Writer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Bryce Kirtz, Rod Heard II and Bryce Gallagher were supposed to represent Northwestern at this year’s Big Ten media days. Instead, they were no-shows. Just 16 days after longtime coach Pat Fitzgerald was fired amid a hazing scandal that has tarnished the Wildcats’ once-pristine reputation, interim coach David Braun answered questions by himself about the expanding scandal. Braun couldn’t say much more than players because of pending litigation, which was the why the players announced Tuesday they would not make the trip to Indianapolis.