(NewsNation) — Northwestern University fired football coach Pat Fitzgerald on Monday amid a hazing scandal that called into question his leadership, but one former player for the team says Fitzgerald was “villainized.”

“The descriptions that I had read about and heard about were incredibly foreign to me,” said Christopher Malleo. “I can’t speak for every era of player. I know during the time that I was a player and participant in the football program, that did not occur.”

Malleo, a former Northwestern football player, joined “NewsNation Now” to discuss the university’s recent move, expressing his disappointment about the decision.

“It’d be an understatement to say that myself and a vast majority of alumni and current players are incredibly disappointed with not only the outcome, but the process,” Malleo said. “Coach Fitzgerald has been villainized and this representation of the football program and current and former players is nowhere near accurate.”

Fitzgerald had been serving a two-week suspension after the school said Friday an investigation led by attorney Maggie Hickey of law firm ArentFox Schiff did not find “sufficient” evidence that the coaching staff knew about ongoing hazing — though there were “significant opportunities” to find out about it.

“I’m not here to discredit anyone who claims that they were hazed or claimed to be a victim. You know, my heart goes out to them, frankly. But well, here’s what I can tell you. That is a small representation of the Northwestern football community,” Malleo said.

The former player also added, “I do not believe that it (hazing) was a pervasive part of the culture. And there are hundreds of former players and current players who have voiced support for Coach Fitzgerald.”