Guys, Durkin's program was truly toxic. A head coach that allows his staff to treat his players as sub-humans should never be given another chance. It is not a simple mistake, it is fundamental lack of understanding how to motivate players and develop men. He is a sick person and should not be involved with shaping the lives of young men.
Here are just a few examples:
An initial ESPN report in August and others that followed noted that Court could be verbally and psychologically abusive, often using food as a reward, a punishment and a tool for humiliation. Among the new allegations levied by former players interviewed by The Post, many of which also were shared with commission investigators:
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●After a player on a weight-loss program had a poor weigh-in, staff members sat him in a chair and called together his teammates. Court poured snacks and Rice Krispie treats over the player, multiple ex-players said. “He was fat-shaming him,” said Donahue, the former lineman.
●Players say they were routinely pushed beyond their limits in workouts and then ridiculed for their struggles. “They would make a point to openly humiliate and embarrass you to the players around you and the coaches,” one ex-player said. “They also had video cameras. . . . Even if you were throwing up in a trash can, that would sort of be the highlight of their film — getting the camera as close as they could up to your face and videotaping you.”
●Two former players told of a 2016 weight-room incident in which a player was vomiting in a trash can following a workout. Court was speaking at the time and grew upset that he was interrupted. Court pushed the player into a refrigerator, screamed at him and tossed the trash can across the room. He then forced the player to clean the mess, the players said.
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●Injured players were sequestered from teammates in an gravelly area near the practice fields called “the Pit,” and Durkin referred to them as a “waste of life,” a phrase some players heard as degrading but another characterized as being said “in a joking way.”
A person close to Durkin said the coach told investigators that he had never called any player “a waste of life” and that “the Pit” wasn’t designed to punish injured players but rather was set up to provide a safe area for individualized workouts that were customized based on the constraints of their injuries.
●During meals and in the training room, players were shown graphic videos featuring loud music, violent imagery and animals killing each other. The videos were intended to motivate the players. “There would be videos of animals eating other animals, pulling them apart,” one player said. “Video segments of, like, zombies just pulling out the intestines of other people.”
“A predator attacking prey,” former wide receiver DeAndre Lane said. “Kind of just to get you in that mind-set: Attack, kill or be killed.”
When asked to comment, Maryland Athletic Director Damon Evans said in a statement Saturday: “These allegations, if true, are unacceptable. We will not tolerate any behavior that is detrimental to the mental or physical well-being of our student-athletes. When the commission completes its charge, we will act decisively and take all actions necessary to ensure the safety of our student-athletes.”
