The Maryland program investigation reveals abuse but no toxic culture



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COLLEGE PARK, Md. – A two-month investigation into allegations of abuse within the Maryland football program revealed that there was no "poisonous culture" under the law. Coach DJ Durkin, but troubling incidents occurred under Durkin's leadership, according to a copy of the report submitted to the Maryland Board of Regents' university system and obtained Thursday by ESPN.

"The Maryland football team had no" poisonous culture, "but it had a culture in which the problems were complicated because too many players were afraid to talk," according to the report, produced by a commission of eight people and handed to the Council of Regents of 17 members last Friday.

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According to the report, there have been "many opportunities" where former fitness and fitness trainer coach Rick Court, who resigned in August, "has engaged in abusive behavior during his mandate in Maryland ". This included launching homophobic insults, which the court rejected but which others confirmed to the committee.

"Mr. Court would try to humiliate the players in front of their teammates by throwing them food, weights and, on one occasion, a trash can filled with vomit, any behavior unacceptable in any reasonable sense," says the report. .

But the commission concluded that there was "a lack of clarity in Mr. Court's reporting relationship". Durkin told the commission that it was not his responsibility to oversee the court and, even though they worked closely together every day, he had "delegated great authority to Mr. Court ".

The commission found that Durkin was partly responsible for the "unacceptable behavior" of the court, but that other factors had helped to prevent the coach from reacting to this behavior.

Durkin is currently on administrative leave. The board has made no staffing recommendations, but the board can make suggestions to the university president, Wallace D. Loh, who has the authority to dismiss or retain college campus employees. Park.

Loh opened the investigation in August following the ESPN report alleging abuse allegations under Durkin's court-centered program. Maryland also hired Walters Inc. to conduct a separate investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of 19-year-old offensive lineman Jordan McNair on 13 June heat stroke.

The results of the first survey, published on September 21, indicated that sports coaching staff had failed to quickly diagnose and properly treat the symptoms of heat stroke during a period of time. May 29th training session eventually led to McNair's death.

On August 14, after ESPN announced that McNair had been admitted to a local hospital at a temperature of 106 degrees, Loh disclosed the preliminary results of the Walters Inc. report and said, "The university accepts the legal and moral responsibility of mistakes made during his training, the staff did. "

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