Northwestern University announced on Thursday that Athletics Director Derrick Gragg will be transitioning to an athletics advisory position within the university. The decision comes amidst a series of controversies surrounding Gragg's tenure, with the university set to begin the search for a new athletics director immediately.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Gragg's move is being characterized as a tactful shift rather than an outright dismissal. Gragg was appointed as the athletics director in June 2021, following eight years as the AD at Tulsa and a brief stint at the NCAA. He took over the position after longtime Northwestern AD Jim Phillips left to become the Commissioner of the ACC.

Gragg's time at Northwestern was not without its challenges. The university initially promoted in-house candidate Mike Polisky as the AD, but he stepped down due to student backlash over his handling of sexual harassment allegations in the cheerleading program. Gragg's first notable action came when he issued an unusual ultimatum for improvement to men's basketball coach Chris Collins. Collins subsequently led the Wildcats to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, a first in the school's history. This resulted in Collins receiving a three-year contract extension in May 2023.

However, in July 2023, Gragg found himself embroiled in multiple controversies. The university initially suspended longtime football coach Pat Fitzgerald amidst an explosive hazing scandal. Gragg, who was on vacation at the time, delivered the news to the team via Zoom. Fitzgerald was eventually fired, and he has since filed a $130 million wrongful termination suit against the university. In Fitzgerald's absence, defensive coordinator David Braun was promoted to interim head coach and was later appointed as the full-time head coach after a 5-5 start.

Another scandal erupted involving baseball coach Jim Foster, whom Gragg had hired the previous year from Army. The university had conducted an investigation that substantiated allegations of bullying and abusive behavior by Foster, but he remained employed until the scandal became public. Gragg ultimately fired Foster following the public disclosure.

In addition to these controversies, a Chicago Tribune article revealed that Gragg had authored an advice book for young men while at Tulsa, which included controversial passages about women. However, Northwestern's president, Michael Schill, stated at the time that there were no discussions about firing Gragg.

The decision to move Gragg to an advisory role comes despite Northwestern's overall athletic success in the 2023-24 season, with field hockey and women's lacrosse teams reaching national title games. The university is also in the process of constructing a new $800 million football stadium set to open in 2026.

Gragg faced criticism for the delay in finalizing plans for hosting games this upcoming season. The university recently announced the construction of a temporary 15,000-seat on-campus venue, which will host all but two home games in 2024, with the remaining two games taking place at Wrigley Field.

Although the Wildcats have experienced success on the field, sources suggest that booster pressure played a role in Gragg's departure from his role as athletics director. The search for a new director will now begin as Northwestern seeks to move forward from the controversies of the past year.