DJ Durkin and Damon Evans to keep jobs in Maryland, source said

This story has been updated.

The Maryland Football Coach, DJ Durkin, who is on administrative leave since August 11, should be sidelined on the recommendation of Maryland's university board of directors, according to a person familiar with the situation. Sports Director Damon Evans will also be returning and Maryland President Wallace D. Loh plans to retire in June following the controversy that has rocked the College Park campus over the past two years. month.

The university system has scheduled a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Baltimore, but this briefing should focus largely on the reforms proposed by the College Park campus as a result of two independent surveys of the football program conducted under the direction of Durkin. According to four people familiar with the situation, the Regents strongly urged Loh to allow Durkin to return and Evans to continue to play his role. A person close to the situation told Loh that it was clear that if he did not follow the recommendations of the board, he would be dismissed immediately.

During his meeting with the Regents last Friday, Loh explained to council why he felt the school should leave Durkin.

"It was clearly established that he wanted to stay at his post, he had no other choice," said a person close to the situation. "He finally felt that the dismissal would be simple because he would not put the coach back on the field. . . .

"The board does not have the power to hire and fire a football coach, but he made it clear that returning DJs to the field was his highest priority."

It was not clear immediately when Durkin could join the team. Loh and Evans were to appear at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, when the university system was to tackle the problem.

According to three people familiar with the situation, many regents were impressed by their meeting in person with Durkin at a board meeting last Friday, and many were convinced that he deserved to stay at his post.

After overseeing two independent investigations and reviewing the findings of a 192-page investigation report, the regents deliberated for eleven days before deciding to take no immediate action on the football program, and many of them were demanding the jobs of Durkin and Evans. lobby for a leadership overhaul.

This decision marks a new turning point in the most tumultuous phase of the program's long history, triggered by the death in June of Jordan McNair, a 19-year-old offensive lineman. After the media reported abuse and bullying within the program, the university launched two external investigations and put Durkin on administrative leave on August 11th.

His status within the team has been outstanding since, some players, parents, boosters and colleagues bringing their support, others claiming a change. McNair's family may have called for Durkin's ouster.

"He should not be able to work with the kid of someone else," said Martin McNair, the player's father, during an August appearance on "Good Morning America" .

In the absence of Durkin, the Terps are led by offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who has been acting head coach since August. Canada guided the team to a 5-3 record.

The school had put on administrative leave two high-level athletic coaches – Wes Robinson and Steve Nordwall, deputy director of sports – and negotiated a settlement with Rick Court, the fitness trainer who resigned on Aug. 13 . No decision regarding Robinson or Nordwall. have been announced.

The regents were given a deadline of Tuesday to announce any potential action and made their decisions after several days of painful and internal debates. On October 19, the board received the report of the Culture Committee of the football program and held five separate meetings to discuss the issue, the culmination of Monday's conference call.

According to many people familiar with the process, the 17 regents fought for days to reach a consensus on what to do, and many have changed their minds about Durkin in the last few days alone. Some people in the room had tried to separate from Durkin, Evans and Loh, while other factions were in favor of retaining the president. Still others were convinced that the three should be able to stay in their current roles.

Loh was originally scheduled to meet Monday morning with Robert L. Caret, chancellor of the university system, and Durkin and Evans were also to talk to Caret by phone. But regulars at the day's events said the Loh meeting had been canceled and no phone calls had been made. Academic officials instead spent most of the day weighing their options.

The university system includes 12 colleges and public institutions, but the Council of Regents is not allowed to hire and dismiss coaches – nor to make any staffing decisions on each campus. The position of the president is an exception, although the regents can certainly have considerable influence in other areas.

"My interpretation is that the president is the one who has the power to deal with staff issues on campus," Caret told the Washington Post last month. "The council can obviously have an influence on the president."

The Council of Regents voted unanimously to take over the two surveys in Maryland on August 17. Board Chair James T. Brady said the regents would "make the decisions necessary to protect and support our students at College Park and on campus. through the state. "

The first investigation report focused on the events surrounding McNair's death. This report was presented to the Council of Regents on September 21st and describes the mistakes made by Maryland staff members, noting that the school's athletic trainers failed to properly diagnose or treat McNair.

The second report followed allegations of abuse and intimidation, initially recorded in an August 10 ESPN report. These investigators spent eight weeks interviewing past and present players, parents, and school employees. The commission's report was released last week by the media, including The Post, but was only officially released by the university system on Monday afternoon. The commission did not judge the culture of the "toxic" program, although it identified several incidents of abusive behavior or intimidation and blamed Durkin for not having mastered the procedure before the court. Court.

"If the culture had been" malicious or harmful, "Mr. Durkin would not have earned the loyalty and respect of many of his student athletes and coaches," the report said. "Many players interviewed by the Commission felt that Mr. Durkin's and Mr. Court's training tactics reflected those of an" exceptional football program "."