Maryland President, AD, and Durkin all to be fired?
https://twitter.com/MrChickSports/status/1031229108624261121
Not sure how credible this dude is, but if true, it's huge news and I applaud Maryland for taking quick, decisive and sweeping action
August 19th, 2018 at 2:40 PM ^
Didn't the President and AD just get hired.
August 19th, 2018 at 2:50 PM ^
Loh has been there 8 years
August 19th, 2018 at 2:54 PM ^
The AD just got named permanent AD, but he was the interim for almost two years. I think he has to go. It was his job both to supervise the football program and to have proper safety procedures in place.
The president was hired in 2010. Firing him would surprise me. Maybe they are blaming him for not investigating Durkin sooner.
August 19th, 2018 at 3:10 PM ^
I think the reason for firing the president is he had a proposal on his desk in May 2017 to revamp the athletic training and supervision protocols to bring them up to par with other university's in the Big Ten (Michigan, Ohio State, Northwestern, and Iowa). The proposal would have shifted things from instead of having the training staff controlled by the athletic department, which could potentially lead them to be influenced by the coaching staff (which is what ESPN's reporting showed happened with Maryland's current staff), an independent staff wouldn't have to report to anyone on the athletic side and could truly have the athlete's best interests in mind.
Loh rejected that proposal. And then 1 year later, in May of 2018, McNair died because no one on the training staff took his situation seriously. In fact, it was reported in ESPN's original story that the athletic trainer was yelling "drag his ass across the field" when McNair started showing symptoms of heatstroke.
August 19th, 2018 at 4:15 PM ^
That is terrible.
You would think out of basic human decency these guys would resign. McNair died on their watch, and it was 100% preventable.
How can they continue to face the team, these kids’ friend and teammate died because of their negligence. It’s sickening.
August 19th, 2018 at 6:20 PM ^
Amongst the many terrible things that came out of McNair's death is that Loh's press conference was the first time McNair's parents found out about any of the details surrounding his death.
August 19th, 2018 at 9:03 PM ^
Wow, if true Maryland's BoT truly have a backbone and sense of what is right and just.
And to think brian "50 shades of purple" kelly still has his job at notre dame, I have even less respect for them now then I did when the student assistant's death happened. To hell with notre dame!!!
August 20th, 2018 at 9:44 AM ^
I'm not a college coach, or anyone clinical... but from the things I've read... I'm just dumbfounded that it *did* happen. I mean, it was clear the kid was in distress.
All that said, I read a book on Walter Payton and his college practices; where it would be 100 something and the coach would withhold water. I'm shocked more people didn't die then.
August 19th, 2018 at 4:49 PM ^
Wow, that's bad on him. Thanks for the informative answer.
Having some independent outsiders around the program is a good idea for a few reasons, but that's the most important one.
August 19th, 2018 at 5:09 PM ^
Training staffs should be employed by the schools health care network.
August 19th, 2018 at 5:29 PM ^
This is unfortunately not surprising from a guy who bolted a 50+ year relationship with the ACC for more money with the B1G, despite copping to knowing nothing about sports other than "there are games" - his exact words.
August 20th, 2018 at 8:18 PM ^
Nice name, only Jim spells it boogers. But he likes to eat them too.
August 20th, 2018 at 10:50 PM ^
Any chance we can get Terrance Davis or others to transfer?
August 19th, 2018 at 2:46 PM ^
Unreal. I would never be a coach this day in age.
August 19th, 2018 at 2:53 PM ^
Coaching is great! Neglect is bad.
August 19th, 2018 at 2:54 PM ^
Fact is though.... anything happens to a kid your coaching in a game or practice.. you better get a lawyer fast my friend.
August 19th, 2018 at 3:03 PM ^
If you are as grossly negligent as the MD coaching staff, you darn well better be fired if not worse. Football is a dangerous sport and players are going to get hurt. They (and there parents) should expect that if someone needs medical attention, they get it promptly.
all the other stuff aside, a competent staff should know how ho deal with heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
August 19th, 2018 at 3:13 PM ^
If you're going to be such an asshat of a coach that the health and safety isn't first and foremost in your mind...then, yeah. Coaching probably isn't for you. Because there's a large difference between pushing a kid to get the most out of him and pushing him to the point of heatstroke and then neglecting him care because you thought it was more appropriate to call him a pussy.
August 19th, 2018 at 5:14 PM ^
One of the very first questions Id ask if my child was being recruited is how the coach and staff intended to keep my child safe from harm. And the coach and his/her staff better have a point by point response ready to go. At the end of the day sports is temporary. A very small aspect of even a professionals life relative to the full span of his/her years. Health and safety, academics then team. That should be the order of priority.
August 19th, 2018 at 6:19 PM ^
Anytime you are in a leadership position with people (and ESPECIALLY with kids/young adults) safety needs to be the first priority. I'm a middle school teacher and keeping the kids safe is the most important job I have. It doesn't matter how much I teach them if I can't send them home healthy at the end of the day.
August 19th, 2018 at 4:06 PM ^
“Anything happens to a kid” or do you mean a kid dies because your staff is negligent and you treat the kids as tools for your own greed? I don’t know of a situation where a coach needs a lawyer because a kid gets injured through the normal course of football. In the case of negligence, yes go get a lawyer.
August 19th, 2018 at 4:10 PM ^
Between the last thread you created - which I ended up taking down - and this comment, I am going to give you some friendly mod advice.
Read more, talk less. This comment is beyond uncalled for as it equates injuries which occur in the normal course of a season / practice to the negligence and callousness of the Maryland coaches.
August 19th, 2018 at 4:16 PM ^
You mean like dying due to gross negligence and complete lack of common sense?
This is a terrible take.
August 19th, 2018 at 4:26 PM ^
Don't take this guy seriously. He's a troll. Should be banned after the Urbz and MNF thread.
August 19th, 2018 at 5:25 PM ^
anything happens to a kid your coaching in a game or practice
A player dying isn't just "anything."
August 19th, 2018 at 6:55 PM ^
Hoke sent a clearly concussed player back out onto the field. Nothing happened to him. But you’re brain dead anyway so actual observations won’t help you
August 20th, 2018 at 8:35 AM ^
According to Morris, he wasn't concussed at all, so your whataboutism fails.
August 20th, 2018 at 5:45 AM ^
Holy shit, yours is the absolute worst take I have seen on this topic. Then you, not that surprisingly, doubled down. Seriously, just stop posting.
August 19th, 2018 at 2:53 PM ^
I would happily be a coach. Couple millions reasons why.
August 19th, 2018 at 2:57 PM ^
Plenty of coaches out there doing fine. And I hardly have empathy for coaches making millions of dollars a year and failing to provide a safe environment for their players.
Id be curious if this happens in other sports as often as it seems to happen in football. Is it happening in track, cross country, lax, etc? I’d guess it doesn’t happen as often and those sports don’t have nearly the institutional support that football does.
August 19th, 2018 at 2:57 PM ^
All you have to do is not promote a fatal climate. Don't think you could handle that?
August 19th, 2018 at 3:23 PM ^
the real victim here is definitely the coaches, not the *checks notes* dead teenager.
August 19th, 2018 at 3:46 PM ^
There’s nothing wrong with being a coach. Just don’t be a dumbass. In this day and age, especially when you’re in a high profile job like that, there is no such thing as a secret anymore.
There are simply truths that haven’t yet been exposed.
August 19th, 2018 at 4:22 PM ^
If the reason you wouldn't want to be a coach is because you don't want to end up with a young person dead due to your gross negligence and lack of basic common sense, then yeah, don't be a coach.
August 19th, 2018 at 6:34 PM ^
Well you’re a dumbass, so I don’t think you’d have to worry about getting that opportunity in the first place...
August 19th, 2018 at 2:49 PM ^
Lay all the points, Texas.
August 19th, 2018 at 2:57 PM ^
I am sure that they will get back to us in 14 days.
August 19th, 2018 at 2:58 PM ^
He's also saying they want former BB coach Gary Williams to step in as interim AD.
August 19th, 2018 at 2:58 PM ^
Chick is the man. His word is good. Big story. Terps are cleaning house.
August 19th, 2018 at 3:40 PM ^
If Chick Hernandez is reporting this, there's got to be some legitimacy to it. He did say things will be happening in the next two weeks which is a way to cover himself in case there's a change in plan...but this report is coming from a DC sportscaster who's a DC-area native and just left NBC Sports Washington (formerly Comcast SportsNet) after working there for 17 years.
August 19th, 2018 at 4:31 PM ^
Chick is also a UofMD grad, so he's more plugged in that other local columnists.
August 19th, 2018 at 3:50 PM ^
This isn't an internet rando. I don't know much of him but checking through his profile he has a pretty significant presence and doesn't just report random rumors about sports.
Important to note that what he actually reported is that the regents came away from a Friday meeting "believing that" all three "should be relieved" of their roles. That's a bit different than it being a done deal, but it's a pretty significant indicator of how things are going. The contrast with MSU's board is startling.
August 19th, 2018 at 5:18 PM ^
Startling yes, surprizing no. Maryland is an actual university
August 19th, 2018 at 3:53 PM ^
Good for Maryland. Something serious like this should cause big change.
August 19th, 2018 at 3:53 PM ^
I don't know the circumstances of the player's death because I didn't read any of the stories on it including the above, there's enough tragedy in the world and I don't always care to drill down into the details. it's tragic for sure especially if he needed rest or they didn't recognize warning signs and if the coaches simply ignored this dying man, they need worse penalties then just losing their jobs.
Many guys have died over the years in football, usually from play on the field, it's a tough game for sure and yes there is the potential for death no matter how many precautions they take.
August 19th, 2018 at 5:34 PM ^
Many guys have died over the years in football, usually from play on the field,
Unless you're a time-traveler from 1905, that's not really true.
Can you think of a Michigan football player who died on the field?
August 19th, 2018 at 6:23 PM ^
Football can be a dangerous and even up to deadly sport, always has been, doesn't mean it shouldn't be played or changed to touch, only that it has the potential to cause deaths and has in the past. Do you disagree with that statement? Let's clarify "many". Many as opposed to say Golf of or Tennis, does that help?
I can cite references from recently to in the past. Thankfully protective equipment can help but it does not lessen the potential for dangerous risks to a players health.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/saturday-was-one-of-the-deadliest-for-college-football-in-decades/
https://people.com/sports/experts-alarmed-over-13-high-school-football-deaths-this-season/
August 19th, 2018 at 10:23 PM ^
And the point goes to FLwolvfan22...
I was also unaware that death through football was something that happened this frequently.
August 19th, 2018 at 11:14 PM ^
It's always been a dangerous sport. If I had a son playing, I would pray before each game and try to stress to him to avoid any blind sided hits if at all possible. Those brutal hits are part of the game but can be dangerous. I love the sport, I also love cycling which has produced it share of deaths over the years and will never be 100% safe either. Cyclists have been struck by cars, died from heat stroke/exhaustion, died from cardiac issues due to blood doping, etc. It doesn't mean I want the sport banned it's just that there's an element of danger in both of these sports and others too. Baseball you can get beaned in the head. It's not something to dwell on but just putting things in perspective, there are dangers to participating in some sports.