Former Northern Illinois Softball Coach Sues University, Alleges Gender Discrimination
Former Northern Illinois Softball Coach Sues University, Alleges Gender Discrimination
Christina Sutcliffe is suing the university, according to a report published late Thursday night.Maren Angus-Coombs|
A former Northern Illinois head softball coach is suing the university, according to a report published late Wednesday night.
Christina Sutcliffe alleges that gender discrimination was behind her firing, according to federal court records obtained by Eddie Carifio of the Daily Chronicle, part of the Shaw Local News Network.
Sutcliffe is suing under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, alleging gender discrimination, illegal sex discrimination, retaliation and a hostile work environment. She seeks back pay, front pay, compensatory damages and institutional reforms. No dollar amount was given in the lawsuit, according to Carifio.
Sutcliffe was fired from NIU following the 2024 season after the Huskies finished 18-34.
After losing her job at NIU, Sutcliffe was hired as an associate head coach at DePaul in August 2024. She was let go by the Big East program after the Blue Demons finished 20-30 and missed the conference tournament in 2026.
Former DePaul asst coach Abby Ramirez has been named the new head coach at St. Laurence (IL) HS after five years with the Blue Demons.
— Justin McLeod (@justfactsmaam) June 18, 2026
Christina Sutcliffe also will not return to the DePaul coaching staff in 2027 after two seasons. She was formerly the head coach at NIU. pic.twitter.com/pPwR1jrM3c
Sutcliffe led the NIU program for 12 years, where she was the third-winningest coach in program history with a record of 287-324. The Huskies never won a conference title during her tenure and finished second three times.
NIU's best finish with Sutcliffe at the helm came in 2016 when the Huskies posted a 35-win season and won the program's first MAC West Division title since 2000.
The lawsuit alleges that Sutcliffe was fired because she was an outspoken voice on gender equity inside the athletic department, which directly contradicts the official press release from May 2024 that stated the two sides mutually agreed to part ways.
Sutcliffe's time at NIU ended a year early. She signed a contract extension in 2023 that extended her through the 2024-25 season.
The lawsuit claims that Sutcliffe raised concerns with the athletic department about the years-long delay in upgrading the softball batting cages while the baseball cages were updated quickly. She also mentions her objection to the usage of the school's logo, which features a male husky.
Sutcliffe also challenged the contract of her baseball counterpart and pressed for a third assistant after baseball made its hire. She alleges that every time she pushed back on the gender inequality, the response from the university cooled.
NIU softball coach Christina Sutcliffe alleges she was fired for raising concerns about gender inequity: delayed cage upgrades for her team while baseball got quick upgrades, unequal assistant coach positions, and a male-only logo across athletics. pic.twitter.com/ZceOSXb13r
— Daily Chronicle - Shaw Local (@Daily_Chronicle) June 17, 2026
In 2023, NIU initiated a program review committee, interviewed nine softball players and produced four action items. None of the complaints held up and Sutcliffe was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Terms like “mentally abusive,” “passive-aggressive” and “culture over talent” were mentioned in the lawsuit, according to Carifio, which argued that Sutcliffe's male counterparts with multiple sports at NIU used similar methods and have not been punished. Instead, she claims that they have been praised for “demanding accountability” or “running a tight program."
Sutcliffe's lawsuit says that none of those male coaches were subjected to a formal program review or terminated.
At the time of Sutcliffe's firing, NIU cited both her performance and athlete evaluations. In April 2025, NIU's response to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claimed the athlete evaluations played no part in the decision.
Sutcliffe's coaching career began in 2002, when she was an assistant coach at Chattanooga before earning her first head coaching position at Rhode Island (2003-2005). She spent seven seasons at Miami (Ohio) before taking over at NIU.
Published Jun 18, 2026 | Modified Jun 18, 2026
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MAREN ANGUS-COOMBSMaren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
