ESPN: The inside story of a toxic culture at Maryland football

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short ornery norwegian said:
Every person who talks to a reporter has an agenda. On or off the record - quoted by name or anonymous. Every person who talks to a reporter has an agenda.

That agenda may be altruistic "I want to tell the truth." "I want to do the right thing." Or the agenda may be selfish: "I want to settle a score with my former boss - or my former spouse."

That is why the rule for legitimate news operations is multiple sources. If one person tells you something, it may or not be credible. But if multiple sources tell you the same thing, or something similar, that greatly increases the likelihood that the story is credible.

In the Maryland case, there are multiple sources who said Maryland deals with football players in a matter that at least some people will find questionable.

Don't want to get too political on this thread, but if people keep attacking the media because they don't like the news, that could take us in a really bad direction.
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And they couldn’t find a single person to defend them? Bull****. The local guy had a story up the same day with a team captain calling it bull****. Why are you and the media defending the lowest common denominator low lifes? That’s a larger “threat to society” than calling out awful reporting.
 

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Pompous Elitist said:
Turns out McMurphy is a dick (not in the journalistic sense) in addition to a journalist with questionable ethics and single unnamed sources. Called out by his peers years ago for claiming a breaking story. He’s a spotlight-chaser and seems to have trouble telling the truth.


http://www.espn.com/blog/ombudsman/post/_/id/209/untying-the-knots-of-ethics-and-attribution
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I really don’t care about Brett McMurphy, but your post doesn’t fit with the conclusion that the writer came to. Roberty Lipsyte? calls McMurphy out for not crediting the original reporter of a tidbit of info, but goes on to say that he and the original reporter are both “solid, productive reporters”. And you want to make it out like he’s some unethical, trash reporter.

You seem to think that McMurphy is the obstacle in your way for defending Urban Meyer, but your exaggerated opinion of him isn’t on the same page as anyone else’s.

I always thought McMurphy was a bit of a doofus, but I don’t think he’s going to risk his career by making stuff up that can be disproven.
 

Interesting that we've switched tactics from attacking folks for being part of a mob without waiting for all the facts to come out to now killing the messenger. Strain of being the smartest, most objective guy around is starting to tell.
 

Mulligan said:
Interesting that we've switched tactics from attacking folks for being part of a mob without waiting for all the facts to come out to now killing the messenger. Strain of being the smartest, most objective guy around is starting to tell.
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Your hatred of me goes way back and I’m ok with that. I’m pretty sure you meant yourself, regarding the bolded?

Regarding your argument - it’s possible to simultaneously decry mob justice and the messengers that promote it, isn’t it? Like walking and chewing bubble gum. The Durkin story (this is separate from the McNair tragedy) was very obviously a hit piece. Perhaps some of it will prove to be accurate but it was written in an inflammatory, exaggerated, one-sided style . You are free to disagree with that assessment.



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KillerGopherFan said:
I really don’t care about Brett McMurphy, but your post doesn’t fit with the conclusion that the writer came to. Roberty Lipsyte? calls McMurphy out for not crediting the original reporter of a tidbit of info, but goes on to say that he and the original reporter are both “solid, productive reporters”. And you want to make it out like he’s some unethical, trash reporter.

You seem to think that McMurphy is the obstacle in your way for defending Urban Meyer, but your exaggerated opinion of him isn’t on the same page as anyone else’s.

I always thought McMurphy was a bit of a doofus, but I don’t think he’s going to risk his career by making stuff up that can be disproven.
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That’s already happened. Try to keep up.
 

Boy, if you have never seen Rick Court, he looks exactly like you have him pictured.
 





Did Dennis Green get a media assault after Stringer died? He wasn’t fired until deep into the following season. I don’t recall the climate in 2001 as being quite as hostile as today although the storm clouds had been building for awhile. Surely Green could have called on his extensive medical background and saved Stringer.

In the Navy the Captain and occasionally his superior falls on his/their sword(s) if something on his/their ship goes terribly wrong. In American society at large...not so much. The hospital CEO certainly isn’t going down if a surgeon makes a mistake. It’s fair to examine how much culpability Durkin has with this and what society’s expectations are for coaches and their superiors.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Your hatred of me goes way back and I’m ok with that. I’m pretty sure you meant yourself, regarding the bolded?

Regarding your argument - it’s possible to simultaneously decry mob justice and the messengers that promote it, isn’t it? Like walking and chewing bubble gum. The Durkin story (this is separate from the McNair tragedy) was very obviously a hit piece. Perhaps some of it will prove to be accurate but it was written in an inflammatory, exaggerated, one-sided style . You are free to disagree with that assessment.



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Again, you prove that you have the most appropriate moniker ever!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Did Dennis Green get a media assault after Stringer died? He wasn’t fired until deep into the following season. I don’t recall the climate in 2001 as being quite as hostile as today although the storm clouds had been building for awhile. Surely Green could have called on his extensive medical background and saved Stringer.

In the Navy the Captain and occasionally his superior falls on his/their sword(s) if something on his/their ship goes terribly wrong. In American society at large...not so much. The hospital CEO certainly isn’t going down if a surgeon makes a mistake. It’s fair to examine how much culpability Durkin has with this and what society’s expectations are for coaches and their superiors.
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Military command is on another whole level of responsibility than any business.
You act as if Durkin was an innocent victim. Durkin hand picked and treated his SC coach as his right hand man. The whole culture of disrespect and humiliation was a direct result of Durkin’s leadership. Society’s expectations are that you should conduct your practices and workouts in a safe manner and that you are prepared enough to know when someone may be in danger of dying. You don’t take a person up in a plane to teach them to fly if you can’t land the plane. You don’t push players to the edge of heat exhaustion unless you know how to spot a problem and fix it immediately. The Stringer incident woke a lot of people up to the dangers of heat exhaustion and most experts say the warning signs were very obvious. It changed how practices take place.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Turns out McMurphy is a d*** (not in the journalistic sense) in addition to a journalist with questionable ethics and single unnamed sources. Called out by his peers years ago for claiming a breaking story. He’s a spotlight-chaser and seems to have trouble telling the truth.


http://www.espn.com/blog/ombudsman/post/_/id/209/untying-the-knots-of-ethics-and-attribution
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As KillerGopherFan already mentioned, this link does not fit your McMurphy narrative whatsoever.
 



Pompous Elitist said:
Did Dennis Green get a media assault after Stringer died? He wasn’t fired until deep into the following season. I don’t recall the climate in 2001 as being quite as hostile as today although the storm clouds had been building for awhile. Surely Green could have called on his extensive medical background and saved Stringer.

In the Navy the Captain and occasionally his superior falls on his/their sword(s) if something on his/their ship goes terribly wrong. In American society at large...not so much. The hospital CEO certainly isn’t going down if a surgeon makes a mistake. It’s fair to examine how much culpability Durkin has with this and what society’s expectations are for coaches and their superiors.
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I'm not certain, but I believe in the case with Stringer, the Vikings weren't as negligent. They got care for Stringer sooner. I also think that was the case where many changes were made across the league regarding shade, water, medical supervision, etc.


Football is run like most businesses and not the Navy.
In American business you have multiple layers of management so the CEO always has plausible deniability whenever a conflict arises and several layers of management to blame before one would need to give up his own job.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
The Durkin story (this is separate from the McNair tragedy) was very obviously a hit piece. Perhaps some of it will prove to be accurate but it was written in an inflammatory, exaggerated, one-sided style .



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This is a narrative that you have been pushing since this story started. I'm not sure you know quite as much about media and journalism and you seem to think you do. When parties are contacted for comment or clarification, and then refuse to comment or clarify, they have no credible legitimacy to then claim that their "side of the story" wasn't completely told.

Did someone write something bad about you in a newspaper once? Your quaking hatred for the media is quite odd.
 

Urbandale said:
This is a narrative that you have been pushing since this story started. I'm not sure you know quite as much about media and journalism and you seem to think you do. When parties are contacted for comment or clarification, and then refuse to comment or clarify, they have no credible legitimacy to then claim that their "side of the story" wasn't completely told.

Did someone write something bad about you in a newspaper once? Your quaking hatred for the media is quite odd.
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I don’t have a hatred for the media in general. There has been a trend towards sensationalism and one-sided coverage that is unfair and it is growing. I’m simply pointing out some problems with these types of stories. I understand journalism as well as you, certainly.

To answer the latter, yes as someone that regularly deals with all manner of the public...myself, my staff, my friends, and my colleagues have been accused of all manner of ridiculous allegations over the years. I’m talking about blatant falsehoods, exaggerations, and dealing with the mentally ill. I think that explains my passionate defense of waiting for all sides to come out. There is almost always a lot more to these stories. Sometimes the accuser is making things up. If you haven’t been on the receiving end of this (most likely young or in not in a public position) then it’s understandable to feel otherwise.

I have high expectations for journalists and that isn’t a bad thing.
 

Face The Facts said:
I'm not certain, but I believe in the case with Stringer, the Vikings weren't as negligent. They got care for Stringer sooner. I also think that was the case where many changes were made across the league regarding shade, water, medical supervision, etc.


Football is run like most businesses and not the Navy.
In American business you have multiple layers of management so the CEO always has plausible deniability whenever a conflict arises and several layers of management to blame before one would need to give up his own job.
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They (the family) reached a settlement with the NFL.
 



alchemy2u said:
Military command is on another whole level of responsibility than any business.
You act as if Durkin was an innocent victim. Durkin hand picked and treated his SC coach as his right hand man. The whole culture of disrespect and humiliation was a direct result of Durkin’s leadership. Society’s expectations are that you should conduct your practices and workouts in a safe manner and that you are prepared enough to know when someone may be in danger of dying. You don’t take a person up in a plane to teach them to fly if you can’t land the plane. You don’t push players to the edge of heat exhaustion unless you know how to spot a problem and fix it immediately. The Stringer incident woke a lot of people up to the dangers of heat exhaustion and most experts say the warning signs were very obvious. It changed how practices take place.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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A former captain said these were lazy and disrespectful players. Comments like yours, and the bolded make me wonder how you ever took the oath and entered the military. Discipline can take many forms and what I read in the ESPN story largely sounds like sour grapes. These aren’t catholic school environments.

How about you wait and see what the real investigation reveals, not what ESPN put out. It sounds like mistakes were made by the trainers, and perhaps the training staff did not have proper training or credentials. Maybe you’re right and Durkin mandated pushing them despite signs of distress.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
It paints a picture of a petty man. I’d say it does and lends some insight into his character.
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Not really. That's your assumption based off assumptions and hearsay from 5 years ago. So aren't you doing exactly what you are warning everyone else not to do in this thread?
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Not really. That's your assumption based off assumptions and hearsay from 5 years ago. So aren't you doing exactly what you are warning everyone else not to do in this thread?
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Bingo! For some reason, it’s ok for PE to assume who is telling the truth and who isn’t, and disparage or disregard any information that doesn’t support his belief.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
Not really. That's your assumption based off assumptions and hearsay from 5 years ago. So aren't you doing exactly what you are warning everyone else not to do in this thread?
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That’s literally what the article states. His peers accused him of stealing a story. You don’t have a good track record here.
 


Pompous Elitist said:
Braglio said former teammates who were quoted in an explosive ESPN story Friday detailing incidents of verbal abuse by Durkin, as well as by strength and conditioning coach Rick Court, were using McNair’s death as an opportunity to get back at coaches who considered them not good enough to play for the Terps.

“After the transition from Coach [Randy] Edsall to Coach Durkin [in December 2015], there were kids on the team that didn’t want to play football. They didn’t want to be part of a winning team, is the best way I can put that,” Braglio said in a telephone interview. "There were some kids there that were along for the ride.

“They get the gear, they get to say they play for Maryland football, but they don’t really get to put on the pads or play in a game. They don’t want to go through the work.”

One player quoted in the ESPN story, former Dunbar standout Malik Jones, said Durkin pulled him into an office after the coach noticed the defensive lineman smiling during a team meeting and told Jones to leave Maryland. (Jones later transferred to Toledo.)

Braglio, also a former defensive lineman who called Jones “one of my good friends,” said Durkin’s actions were justified.

“They did have an altercation, but Malik was sitting in the meeting room. He was an older guy, and he’s sitting back there laughing. He was on his phone or on his iPad watching videos during a team meeting,” Braglio recalled. “It’s a huge slap in the face to the head coach. You have to keep the players in check.”


http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/...nd-football-braglio-dj-durkin-0811-story.html
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Fair enough, thanks for posting this.

The main story is the unfortunate death of the player. There is always a spectrum, between pushing a guy who's giving up too easily or trying to get out of working hard and recognizing the signs of someone who is having a serious heath issue. And the S&C staff failed to do their job.
 

fraternity2017 said:
God why can’t a story like this come out about Wisconsin
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I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, and assume you did not mean that you wanted some Wisconsin player to die during conditioning drills, in order for bad PR to come out about the Badger's program.

Me personally, that's not how I want to beat them. I want to play them straight up, good vs good, and come out on top.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
That’s literally what the article states. His peers accused him of stealing a story. You don’t have a good track record here.
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'accused' with nothing that proves he actually did. Again it's an assumption and an accusation, just like this entire story. And the Urban Meyer story. Speaking of track record, do you even read your own posts or the articles you post?

You continue to pick and choose which accusations you want to believe depending on which narrative you'd like to push. Talk about hypocritical...
 
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GopherWeatherGuy said:
'accused' with nothing that proves he actually did. Again it's an assumption and an accusation, just like this entire story. And the Urban Meyer story. Speaking of track record, do you even read your own posts or the articles you post?
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The story had the exact same wording...

I give up. Yes, Some posters bring a different perspective to what goes on here and it’s desperately needed IMO.



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Gophers_4life said:
Fair enough, thanks for posting this.

The main story is the unfortunate death of the player. There is always a spectrum, between pushing a guy who's giving up too easily or trying to get out of working hard and recognizing the signs of someone who is having a serious heath issue. And the S&C staff failed to do their job.
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I agree with you something seems to have gone off the rails if the timelines are accurate.
 

Let’s get a read on opinions on training and discipline here. Those of us that have served depending on service and specialty went through some fair to extreme physical and mental duress with the understanding one has to be able to think and function under stress.

The analogy is not quite the same when transferred to high level athletics but I’d argue there is some value to being pushed to one’s limits both physical and mental. I’m reading a lot of stuff seeming to decry any sort of tough love or stress being put on players which seems odd. Withholding hydration is obviously not appropriate for athletes.

The devil in the details is knowing where the limit is, and responding appropriately when that is exceeded. Seems like the staff may have failed re: McNair. The other stuff...debatable IMO. Doesn’t seem like much when you really look at it unless one is a little sensitive. Fair to disagree.
 

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