Among Maryland football players, a mix of relief, tension and uncertainty

Less than an hour after learning that DJ Durkin had been sacked as a Maryland football coach, more than 100 Terrapins players left the team's home Wednesday night and wondered about their new reality. Some were stunned and some made fun of sports director Damon Evans when he announced the news shortly after their training, according to several people familiar with the situation.

The future of football in Maryland will remain uncertain beyond this season, but the current team must find a way to overcome uncertainty as four matches remain ahead. The previous 48 hours had only accentuated the "whiplash" sensation.

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The Terrapins locker room was turned upside down when Durkin had been amazingly restored by the university and had resumed training Tuesday after 80 days of administrative leave, only to see three players go out in protest.

In training that day, two other players, one described by his teammates as pro-Durkin and the other anti-Durkin, clashed physically.

Contradictory accounts of the incident appeared on Thursday. A person familiar with the situation, presumed junior Matt Barber, was assaulted by a teammate during Tuesday night's training session, which Durkin attended. In a statement released Thursday on Twitter, Wade Lees, junior, acknowledged that he was involved in an altercation with Barber, his replacement.

Barber had been accused by some teammates of being an alert launcher having interviewed investigators investigating the program's culture. He would have been confronted at the end of the practice by Lees, who publicly endorsed Durkin. Billy Murphy, a McNair family lawyer, said in an interview Wednesday night with WUSA Channel 9 that Barber needed stitches and an MRI for a separate shoulder as a result of l & # 39; altercation.

Barber did not train with the team on Wednesday or Thursday. It was not immediately clear if Lees was practicing.

Lees said Thursday in a statement posted on Twitter: "The altercation has nothing to do with the reinstatement of coach Durkin."

Evans issued a statement saying, "This is an incredibly difficult time for our student football students. However, we take very seriously any matter involving physical altercations. Our priority is to fully understand what has happened and we have referred this issue to the Student Conduct Office for it to study the details. "

A few hours after Durkin's reinstatement, some staff members were wondering how they could trust Durkin and recruit players following the death of Jordan McNair and allegations of abuse in the program, not to mention how they were going to be able to train. Saturday's match against Michigan State.

So there was at least a sense of relief from the players and coaches when the school overturned the course and sent Durkin out shortly after 18 hours. Wednesday evening. "It's a blessing," said an assistant coach to someone close to the program who was given anonymity to discuss the situation freely. A number of players felt that not only did the move have allowed some closure after seeing their season turn away from controversy, but also that justice had been done to McNair and his family.

"I really wanted justice done for Jordan. I think the right decision was made to have justice done to Jordan and make everything easier for us as players, "Maryland offensive lineman Johnny Jordan, near Gossett Team House, told reporters. shortly after the dismissal of Durkin.

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Acting head coach Matt Canada and his assistants were praised for galvanizing their grieving players and leading them to a 5-3 record, a bowl-eligibility win, even though some Team members have been split to support and counter Durkin over the past two months. .

"The last three days, just like the last few months, have been difficult for everyone involved. We wrote a lot and talked a lot about our program, "wrote Canada on Thursday in a letter to the parents of the players. "Our young men were forced to deal with intense distractions and speculation they did not ask for. We can not change that and we do not control it – what is said, how it is written, the rest. "

When the players left Wednesday night, the staff members stayed and continued their preparations for the state of Michigan. Some assistants stayed after 22 hours. and scheduled to resume their normal routine on Thursday. When some players tweeted Durkin's shooting responses, most of the attendees left the social media. Durkin's profile was removed from the staff directory and the team's Twitter account sent a picture of the kissed players as a unit message.

Evans said in Canada Wednesday night that he would finish the season as an interim head coach. The two men met again Thursday morning, according to a person familiar with the situation. Canada then met with its staff. The players held meetings at the usual time in the early afternoon. A closed practice was held at Maryland Stadium instead at the team's outdoor training ground, but proceeded normally.

They met while questions about their program continued to swirl, including the status of coaches Wes Robinson and Steve Nordwall, who both remained on administrative leave on Wednesday. It was revealed earlier in the day that the Council of Regents of the Maryland University System had recommended that both, as well as Durkin, resume their functions.

[Maryland board also recommended retaining trainers who failed to treat McNair]

"The atmosphere of the team is the same since the beginning of the situation. They come together. They play for each other, "said a member of the Maryland football staff. "They want the support of the fans."

Canada did not mention the incident during Tuesday's training session in its letter to parents, in which it wrote that the resolution of the players "is incredible".

"We will stay together," he wrote. "We will build one on the other. We will continue to honor Jordan. We will play hard as a team. We will make you proud. "

Emily Giambalvo, Sarah Larimer and Rick Maese contributed to this report.