Maryland football coach Fired one day after reinstatement

One day after suspended University of Maryland football coach DJ Durkin was reinstated, the school’s outgoing president fired him.

In the wake of the offseason death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair, Durkin was on administrative leave while the university waited on two reports, one into the medical treatment McNair received and the other into the culture of the football team.The second report, on the team culture, was released Tuesday by the school’s board of regents and Durkin was given the OK to return to leading the team, which is 5-3.

But university President Wallace D. Loh, who said Tuesday that he planned to retire next year after helping implement reforms that improve the well-being of athletes, announced Durkin’s dismissal. “This is not at all a reflection of my opinion of Coach Durkin as a person,” Loh said. “However, a departure is in the best interest of the university.”

—

Photo Credit: Daniel Padavona / Shutterstock.com