DJ Durkin and Damon Evans will retain jobs at Maryland, source says

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oak_street1981 said:
The players may not have liked Durkin much regardless, but the walk out also may be tied to the bonds formed with Matt Canada and the success they have had without Durkin.

I think back to when the MSU-Mankato coach, who had won big previously being fired for taking innocent pictures of his own young children, was reinstated when common sense prevailed. (the Blue Earth Co. Attorney made the EOAA look good in comparison) The players walked out initially, mainly because they had performed well and won a title as a very united team and rallied around the interim coach the previous year. The players came back and they MSU is still a DII powerhouse under Haffner (?). The interim coach got a good gig somewhere, but I am not sure if he is doing well or not.

The stakes are a little higher here, but who knows how much the players really hate Durkin, plus it is possible they are just angry that their teammate died and sometimes the captain needs to go down with the ship, even if he was not directly at fault.

The cynic in me thinks that Durkin was showing signs of building a powerhouse at Maryland, with huge recruiting wins, and wins on the field, and the boosters / Regents want to keep that going at any cost. We will see if Durkin can keep the recruiting wave rolling with all the bad press that will fuel negative recruiting.

I am shocked they kept him as HC.
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Aaron Keen. He's the OC at Eastern Michigan now
 

Found an interesting commentary onthe University’s report on SB Nation:

https://www.sbnation.com/college-fo...24732/maryland-investigative-report-dj-durkin

The following is a direct quote from the report itself, not the commentary:

“Multiple players anonymously complain that the coaching staff would subject teams during meal time to disturbing videos. According to Gus Little, this included videos of serial killers, drills entering eyeballs, and bloody scenes with animals eating animals. Another player says that there were videos of rams and bucks running at each other at full speed. Mr. Durkin maintains that horror movies were sometimes shown at breakfast to motivate and entertain players.”

Really, what else do we need to know about Durkin?

The whole thing is worth reading.
 
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Pompous Elitist said:
It’s fascinating to read the reactions here. It’s clear to those that, you know, read the reports/summaries and are familiar with the situation that DJ was unfairly scapegoated for the likely preventable death of Jordan but it was still likely he’d be sacrificed to the knee jerk media and casual news consumers. So this is surprising news from that perspective but it’s probably the “fair” thing to do. The media, being stubborn, will not admit their initial reports were overblown sensationalism disproven by the investigations. They will double down.

The Maryland training staff, their medical supervisors, their admin supervisors (and perhaps their original training/verification programs) ought to be investigated by their respective boards. Their are still some interesting questions surrounding all this. Their careers are over or at least severely curtailed for the time being. The university will pay for not having competent training/ medical staff. Ironically, Maryland will likely be the safest and most overly protective environment in America going forward. Rick Court was a character but I’m not sure much of that screaming and yelling rises to the abuse level. Eye of the beholder I suppose.

This media storm will be all but forgotten by all but the most diehard negative nelly’s in a few weeks barring a player revolt which hasn’t materialized yet.






.
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You are batsh&t crazy.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
It’s fascinating to read the reactions here. It’s clear to those that, you know, read the reports/summaries and are familiar with the situation that DJ was unfairly scapegoated for the likely preventable death of Jordan but it was still likely he’d be sacrificed to the knee jerk media and casual news consumers. So this is surprising news from that perspective but it’s probably the “fair” thing to do. The media, being stubborn, will not admit their initial reports were overblown sensationalism disproven by the investigations. They will double down.

The Maryland training staff, their medical supervisors, their admin supervisors (and perhaps their original training/verification programs) ought to be investigated by their respective boards. Their are still some interesting questions surrounding all this. Their careers are over or at least severely curtailed for the time being. The university will pay for not having competent training/ medical staff. Ironically, Maryland will likely be the safest and most overly protective environment in America going forward. Rick Court was a character but I’m not sure much of that screaming and yelling rises to the abuse level. Eye of the beholder I suppose.

This media storm will be all but forgotten by all but the most diehard negative nelly’s in a few weeks barring a player revolt which hasn’t materialized yet.






.
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Normally I'm with you on your takes but one has to wonder if the training staff would have responded to Jordan McNair's situation differently if Fleck, for example, was their coach. Pure speculation here but maybe the training staff was influenced by Durkin's Nathan Jessup type approach to "toughen up" his players.

At any rate, parents shouldn't feel real comfortable about their sons playing for Durkin.
 

per CBS:

The Maryland players must protest. Probably a boycott is best. Don't play, guys. Your lives are at stake.

Some sort of extreme dissent is all they have left. Their university abandoned them. Their strength coach humiliated them. Their head coach created a culture of intimidation. Oh yeah, and one of their brothers collapsed and eventually died running gassers while all of them watched.

Jordan McNair paid for this culture with his life.

Meanwhile, that coach, DJ Durkin, will continue to be paid and return to leading the team.

Maryland's coach somehow retained his job on Tuesday. The Athletic and ESPN both reported that at least a few players walked out of a morning meeting with Durkin in response.

Good. That's a start. After an overwrought, underdone, far-too-lengthy process that included two investigations, the absolute worst conclusion was reached by the Maryland Board of Regents.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-f...poisons-its-program-by-reinstating-dj-durkin/

Go Gophers!!
 


Jay Bilas chimes in:

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Go Gophers!!
 

I hope the players find the courage to boycott the rest of the season.

I don’t think they will, but I’ve been surprised before.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
I’m talking about the Daniels politician mother going on and on to the media about paraphrasing here - nobody talking to her - and the commission rebuking her stating they contacted her via her lawyer and she never responded. Things are never as black and white as you want them to be.

If you were half as smart as you think you’d know DJ doesn’t hire or run the training staff that were responsible for McNair’s heat injury complications. The university does.
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Just so we're clear, the University does provide the training staff - those who look after players when they are injured, etc. But Court was hired by Durkin, and to think that the training staff is responsible for this and not Court is hard to believe. Do you think some early 20's EMT-in-training is going to question a loud and boisterous S&C coach with a history of verbal assaults?
 

oak_street1981;1622316 The cynic in me thinks that Durkin was showing signs of building a powerhouse at Maryland said:
"Durkin, it should be noted, is 10-15 as Maryland’s head coach, 5-13 in the Big Ten. The Terps have lost seven of their past eight games with Durkin the sideline, the last by 63 points. Maryland has started 5-3 this season without him."

He had recruited decently, but there aren't really any signs that Durkin was about to turn Maryland into some sort of power.

This is the most bizarre decision I can remember.
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MrC said:
Found an interesting commentary onthe University’s report on SB Nation:

https://www.sbnation.com/college-fo...24732/maryland-investigative-report-dj-durkin

The following is a direct quote from the report itself, not the commentary:

“Multiple players anonymously complain that the coaching staff would subject teams during meal time to disturbing videos. According to Gus Little, this included videos of serial killers, drills entering eyeballs, and bloody scenes with animals eating animals. Another player says that there were videos of rams and bucks running at each other at full speed. Mr. Durkin maintains that horror movies were sometimes shown at breakfast to motivate and entertain players.”

Really, what else do we need to know about Durkin?

The whole thing is worth reading.
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Look man they just want a team of psychopaths that wouldn't really care or respond much to the death of a student ..... like the administration at MD...
 

FredCoxRocks said:
Just so we're clear, the University does provide the training staff - those who look after players when they are injured, etc. But Court was hired by Durkin, and to think that the training staff is responsible for this and not Court is hard to believe. Do you think some early 20's EMT-in-training is going to question a loud and boisterous S&C coach with a history of verbal assaults?
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The training staff froze up under pressure and misdiagnosed the situation. That’s DJ’s fault? The training staff has their own leadership and training regimen.

I’d challenge you all to get the facts before casting such strong opinions.

You guys (and the media) are conflating two separate situations. Court’s antics and the medical response to a sick/injured player. There was gross incompetence here, and I think if those management and training individuals names were public the attention would be focused there. We need someone to vilify and DJ is the guy. When something like this happens people feel like everything needs to be burned to the ground whether appropriate or not. The media loves to stir the pot.
 

balds said:
Big Ten has had a solid run of PR "wins".

Indiana coach abuse.
Michigan St. Nasser, etc.
Penn St. - Child abuse.
Maryland player death.
Ohio St. Domestic abuse cover up.
Minnesota Sexual assault.
Iowa training hospitalizations.

Am I missing any?
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Should just close up shop.
 

MrC said:
Found an interesting commentary onthe University’s report on SB Nation:

https://www.sbnation.com/college-fo...24732/maryland-investigative-report-dj-durkin

The following is a direct quote from the report itself, not the commentary:

“Multiple players anonymously complain that the coaching staff would subject teams during meal time to disturbing videos. According to Gus Little, this included videos of serial killers, drills entering eyeballs, and bloody scenes with animals eating animals. Another player says that there were videos of rams and bucks running at each other at full speed. Mr. Durkin maintains that horror movies were sometimes shown at breakfast to motivate and entertain players.”

Really, what else do we need to know about Durkin?

The whole thing is worth reading.
Click to expand...

I suspect many activities the players or coaches could do could be built into a horrific description. Most of these players are exposed to extreme violence via video games and movies, most since early childhood. I mean...horror movies at breakfast...did they use lid retractors and restraints? The game itself could be described as barbaric...and is. Gnashing of teeth.

Should CPS step in if kids are playing Fortnite or watching Halloween?
 



A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Look man they just want a team of psychopaths that wouldn't really care or respond much to the death of a student ..... like the administration at MD...
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Uh, people have lost their jobs, careers, and are facing extremely high dollar civil suits over this. They’re just not in the news. I do think President Loh shares at least some of the blame based on the findings. He’s resigning (with a golden chute most likely).
 

Pompous Elitist said:
It’s fascinating to read the reactions here. It’s clear to those that, you know, read the reports/summaries and are familiar with the situation that DJ was unfairly scapegoated for the likely preventable death of Jordan but it was still likely he’d be sacrificed to the knee jerk media and casual news consumers. So this is surprising news from that perspective but it’s probably the “fair” thing to do. The media, being stubborn, will not admit their initial reports were overblown sensationalism disproven by the investigations. They will double down.

The Maryland training staff, their medical supervisors, their admin supervisors (and perhaps their original training/verification programs) ought to be investigated by their respective boards. Their are still some interesting questions surrounding all this. Their careers are over or at least severely curtailed for the time being. The university will pay for not having competent training/ medical staff. Ironically, Maryland will likely be the safest and most overly protective environment in America going forward. Rick Court was a character but I’m not sure much of that screaming and yelling rises to the abuse level. Eye of the beholder I suppose.

This media storm will be all but forgotten by all but the most diehard negative nelly’s in a few weeks barring a player revolt which hasn’t materialized yet.

.
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Who will you not defend? Everything is either a conspiracy or spear job in your eyes. Your personal bias has blinded your judgement and makes you look like a fool.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

alchemy2u said:
Who will you not defend? Everything is either a conspiracy or spear job in your eyes. Your personal bias has blinded your judgement and makes you look like a fool.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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I’ve placed blame where it belongs. Gross incompetence.

??
 

In summary the general fan and media feel:

1. DJ should have personally trained the staff and had them under his management (I’d argue that’s a bad idea and the medical staff should be separate)

2. Yelling at problem players (DJ called out a disrespectful player at a meeting) directly led to the death of Jordan McNair

3. A vocal and perhaps demeaning at times strength coach has no place in 2010s America - fair point. It’s not the military.

4. Exposure of adult men to swearing, violence is a fireable offense. Arguable and fair point if it’s forced, but that opens a Pandora’s box in our society I’d say...
 

Pompous Elitist said:
I suspect many activities the players or coaches could do could be built into a horrific description. Most of these players are exposed to extreme violence via video games and movies, most since early childhood. I mean...horror movies at breakfast...did they use lid retractors and restraints? The game itself could be described as barbaric...and is. Gnashing of teeth.

Should CPS step in if kids are playing Fortnite or watching Halloween?
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You can suspect anything you want if it makes you feel more secure in your position. Won’t make you right.

Subjecting the team to the disturbing videos as described during meals or any other time is simply not normal.

And remember, the quote was directly from the report, so you can’t blame it on “the media.” (insert spooky sounds here)
 

MrC said:
You can suspect anything you want if it makes you feel more secure in your position. Won’t make you right.

Subjecting the team to the disturbing videos as described during meals or any other time is simply not normal.

And remember, the quote was directly from the report, so you can’t blame it on “the media.” <insert spooky sounds here>
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Yes... it’s a little wierd and twisted and I certainly wouldn’t choose to view it while eating but I doubt this was any of those players first exposure to blood/violence. Connect the dots for me on how this led to Jordan McNair’s death.
 

alchemy2u said:
Who will you not defend? Everything is either a conspiracy or spear job in your eyes. Your personal bias has blinded your judgement and makes you look like a fool.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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We live in the times of "don't like thing" ... "build narrative" ... "there I don't have to really think about anything / challenge my beliefs".
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
We live in the times of "don't like thing" ... "build narrative" ... "there I don't have to really think about anything / challenge my beliefs".
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You don’t see the irony in pompous statements like this? We live in a time where facts don’t matter...that is the scary thing.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Yes... it’s a little wierd and twisted and I certainly wouldn’t choose to view it while eating but I doubt this was any of those players first exposure to blood/violence. Connect the dots for me on how this led to Jordan McNair’s death.
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I never said that or thought it.

And by the way, I don’t pretend to understand what other people think or feel without actually listening to them. Keeps me from grossly misrepresenting other’s opinions in order to give me something easy to argue against.
 

MrC said:
I never said that or thought it.

And by the way, I don’t pretend to understand what other people think or feel without actually listening to them. Keeps me from grossly misrepresenting other’s opinions in order to give me something easy to argue against.
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Ok, I’m waiting for a clear argument. Give me your nuanced opinion on how these events are intertwined. Are you outraged about the videos, the tragic death of McNair, both? If you’re upset about the death, explain the connection.
 

DJ Durkin was in charge of the football program at Maryland when the player died. He needs to go. He is responsible.
 


Pompous Elitist said:
Ok, I’m waiting for a clear argument. Give me your nuanced opinion on how these events are intertwined. Are you outraged about the videos, the tragic death of McNair, both? If you’re upset about the death, explain the connection.
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I never said they were intertwined.

My entire opinion is expressed in post 32.

No nuance required!
 


Washington Post: Don’t let your sons play for DJ Durkin

Parents, don’t send your kids to Maryland to play football. Just don’t do it. It’s not a university, it’s a canker sore with a couple of dormitories strapped to its suppurating side. Don’t let your son so much as look at an application. At best he will get all the wrong lessons in manhood, take courses in deceit, and spinelessness. At worst he may wind up twitching on the ground, or even in a hospital issuing a death hiss. It’s not a safe place for athletes, or students. It’s a place for belly snakes. To quote Bette Davis, “What a dump.”

At Maryland, your son will not be in the care of responsible administrators, but rather sneaking infighters and influence peddlers who debase and dirty a university education. Whose combination of arrogance and lethal stupidity has made them a national laughingstock, yet who don’t even realize it. They have nothing to teach a young man except how to disgrace himself in public, and then look in the mirror and see handsome.

Does this description of the College Park salvage yard — I won’t dignify it with the term campus — sound harsh? To the ears of Jordan McNair’s parents, it doesn’t even begin.

A son died at Maryland. He died needlessly from heatstroke, at the age of 19, in the care of a vain football coach named DJ Durkin who demanded “blind trust,” and repaid it with cocksure incompetence. Who failed the quality control of any good high school team. But instead of relieving Durkin from a post for which he is so clearly unfit, Maryland’s fork-tongued regents spent months prevaricating and producing self-contradictory reports, and then buckled under to the money. Instead of firing the donor-pet Durkin, they effectively ousted university president Wallace Loh, who was nowhere near the scene of the crime.

It does not matter that Durkin is a passionate coach who was under complicated pressures. It does not matter that Loh and Athletic Director Damon Evans didn’t exercise oversight because they were so distracted by petty feuding. These are not causes. They are excuses.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...a6b4d25cfbb_story.html?utm_term=.cfec630ed2c5

Go Gophers!!
 

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Go Gophers!!
 


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