OT - Another B1G coach in trouble - DJ Durkin

[jblaz13]

Hopefully it will be soon. Based on what's already being said and known from closer to the situation,  I don't think he deserves the benefit of the doubt on anything else regarding his fate there. The B1G already looks like crap right now, especially the B1G East. Ever since the problems at Penn State , every other B1G East coach has now faced some pretty serious issues.

Although no formal accusations of wrong doing at Michigan have been leveled at Harbaugh's program as of now, any reasonable mind will likely conclude Durkin didn't just become what he is overnight.

Harbaugh apparently did not have any comment on the current matter at Maryland either when asked recently, but Jabril Peppers apparently made a couple remarks that raise eyebrows as to what might have been going on at Michigan at one point.  I've never previously visited the deadspin site for anything I can recall, but this link was among the first when I typed Jim Harbaugh Allegations into Google. 

https://deadspin.com/jim-harbaugh-wont-talk-about-d-j-durkins-bully-coachi-1828367420

[Leathernecks]

The guy who tweeted this was a sportscaster with NBC Sports in Washington for 17 years, so he seems like a guy who wouldn't put something out unless he actually did have sources.

He also tweeted

 

[Seeking6]

For me it was always nice to be able to fall back on the Big 10's track record of not having problems or cheating or win at all cost mentality like the SEC folks. We no longer can use our doing it the right way as some moral high ground.

Penn St, Michigan St, Ohio St, Maryland even Illinois fired Beckman...probably missing a few. 

 

[BobSaccamanno]

Quote

 

At a press conference Tuesday, Loh said the university accepts "legal and moral responsibility" for McNair's death from heatstroke, which has a 100 percent survival rate when properly treated.

Several players told ESPN that coach DJ Durkin, who is also on administrative leave, instilled a toxic culture in the football program where players were pushed beyond their physical limits.

Chad Asplund, president of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, told the Post that in an environment where trainers report to the athletic department, they may feel pressure to acquiesce to what they believe the coaches want.

"The coach may need a player for a big game, but they have an injury where it's not safe. If you report directly to the football staff or someone in athletics, you might worry about being fired if you pull a kid out," Asplund told the Post. "You may feel coerced to [play] a kid even if he's not healthy."

 

http://www.dbknews.com/2018/08/17/umd-jordan-mcnair-football-death-investigation-heatstroke-wallace-loh-sports-medicine/

[Leathernecks]

4 hours ago, BobSaccamanno said:

 

http://www.dbknews.com/2018/08/17/umd-jordan-mcnair-football-death-investigation-heatstroke-wallace-loh-sports-medicine/

I can't wait to see what they find in this investigation.  I think Durkin is gone no matter what, but if they find that the trainers didn't follow proper protocol because of pressure from the coaching staff to get players back out there, Durkin will be in major legal trouble.

[Leathernecks]

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/24756268/maryland-terrapins-football-staff-did-not-provide-adequate-care-death-jordan-mcnair-report-says

I don't know why Durkin is still employed.  Maryland's response time the day McNair had heatstroke was pathetic.  Durkin was at the workout.  One of the athletic trainers yelled "drag his ass across the field" when McNair was struggling.  Durkin had to have at least been within a reasonable distance while all of this was happening.  If this all doesn't say toxic culture, what does?

I'm assuming he'll get fired eventually, but why in the world is he still there?  There's more than enough info that he should have been gone a long time ago.

[Andy06]

I was thinking the same thing earlier this week.  Not sure what more you can find out in an investigation now that couldn't have been uncovered already. 

[rico]

Just my opinion, but I would fire the entire coaching staff.

[BGleas]

On 9/22/2018 at 12:41 AM, Leathernecks said:

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/24756268/maryland-terrapins-football-staff-did-not-provide-adequate-care-death-jordan-mcnair-report-says

I don't know why Durkin is still employed.  Maryland's response time the day McNair had heatstroke was pathetic.  Durkin was at the workout.  One of the athletic trainers yelled "drag his ass across the field" when McNair was struggling.  Durkin had to have at least been within a reasonable distance while all of this was happening.  If this all doesn't say toxic culture, what does?

I'm assuming he'll get fired eventually, but why in the world is he still there?  There's more than enough info that he should have been gone a long time ago.

I have no idea if Durkin is culpable or not, I’m guessing he will end up being fired, but I having been to some Maryland practices (Friedgen era, talking around ‘09-‘10 maybe) in the past, and it is certainly possible that something like this, or at least the beginning portions, happened without Durkin being in earshot. It’s definitely possible he didn’t hear ‘drag his ass across the field’. It’s possible, I of course don’t know if he heard it or not  

The outdoor practices I’ve been too, these fields are big, there’s more than one side-by-side, and there is a lot going on in a spread out space. Different positions are working in groups and the head coach is sort of roaming working with different groups. Of course when they get down to parts where they’re working specifically on offense or defense and practicing plays the then things do get consolidated. 

[BENDOVER]

I'm just in complete awe of this.. A few "extra" phone calls almost sent our basketball program to the grave, yet other programs have literally let rape, pedophilia, domestic abuse, and death happen, which have (so far) resulted in similar consequences.

It's despicable.

[Leathernecks]

38 minutes ago, BGleas said:

I have no idea if Durkin is culpable or not, I’m guessing he will end up being fired, but I having been to some Maryland practices (Friedgen era, talking around ‘09-‘10 maybe) in the past, and it is certainly possible that something like this, or at least the beginning portions, happened without Durkin being in earshot. It’s definitely possible he didn’t hear ‘drag his ass across the field’. It’s possible, I of course don’t know if he heard it or not  

The outdoor practices I’ve been too, these fields are big, there’s more than one side-by-side, and there is a lot going on in a spread out space. Different positions are working in groups and the head coach is sort of roaming working with different groups. Of course when they get down to parts where they’re working specifically on offense or defense and practicing plays the then things do get consolidated. 

Thanks for the info!

I think even if Durkin wasn't around to hear it, the fact that the trainer said it isn't a good sign.  If a trainer knew the head coach (essentially their boss) wouldn't like them yelling it, they probably wouldn't say it.  Those things could easily get back to the coach even if he didn't directly hear it.  If a trainer knew the head coach would condone it, there's nothing to stop them from saying it.

I don't know what is taking so long in all of this.  I like that they're hopefully doing a thorough investigation to make sure they know what happened before making a decision, but it's been a month and a half.  Seems like more than enough time to get to the bottom of things.

[CauseThatsMyDJ]

Another school doesn't do the obviously right thing.

 

[Hoosier82]

22 minutes ago, CauseThatsMyDJ said:

Another school doesn't do the obviously right thing.

 

Why would Durkin even want to stay on here? He knows the first allegation of wrong doing and he's canned. Leave, lay low, get your head on straight and reemerge elsewhere. Even bigger question is who would really want to play for this guy knowing the environment he perpetuated? 

[CauseThatsMyDJ]

5 minutes ago, Hoosier82 said:

Why would Durkin even want to stay on here? He knows the first allegation of wrong doing and he's canned. Leave, lay low, get your head on straight and reemerge elsewhere. Even bigger question is who would really want to play for this guy knowing the environment he perpetuated? 

And why is the Board of Regents sacrificing the school president for a coach with a losing record?

[Payday]

On 9/23/2018 at 8:08 PM, Leathernecks said:

Thanks for the info!

I think even if Durkin wasn't around to hear it, the fact that the trainer said it isn't a good sign.  If a trainer knew the head coach (essentially their boss) wouldn't like them yelling it, they probably wouldn't say it.  Those things could easily get back to the coach even if he didn't directly hear it.  If a trainer knew the head coach would condone it, there's nothing to stop them from saying it.

I don't know what is taking so long in all of this.  I like that they're hopefully doing a thorough investigation to make sure they know what happened before making a decision, but it's been a month and a half.  Seems like more than enough time to get to the bottom of things.

 

 

1 hour ago, CauseThatsMyDJ said:

Another school doesn't do the obviously right thing.

 

 

1 hour ago, Hoosier82 said:

Why would Durkin even want to stay on here? He knows the first allegation of wrong doing and he's canned. Leave, lay low, get your head on straight and reemerge elsewhere. Even bigger question is who would really want to play for this guy knowing the environment he perpetuated? 

 

1 hour ago, CauseThatsMyDJ said:

And why is the Board of Regents sacrificing the school president for a coach with a losing record?

A PLAYER DIED ON HIS WATCH! I don’t care what the circumstances are! He is in charge of the program and a kid died on his watch! He should have been beside himself, he should have offered to leave, he should have stood up like a man and taken responsibility and shown some damn character. Unbelievable! If he did nothing wrong law enforcement and the school could have said that and when he reconciled things maybe he could get back in to coaching. This is wrong on too many levels to list here. But first would be character.

[Steubenhoosier]

1 hour ago, Payday said:

 

 

 

 

A PLAYER DIED ON HIS WATCH! I don’t care what the circumstances are! He is in charge of the program and a kid died on his watch! He should have been beside himself, he should have offered to leave, he should have stood up like a man and taken responsibility and shown some damn character. Unbelievable! If he did nothing wrong law enforcement and the school could have said that and when he reconciled things maybe he could get back in to coaching. This is wrong on too many levels to list here. But first would be character.

Not exactly the same but Notre Dame set the precedent when the kid fell off the platform during practice and nothing happened to the head coach. IIRC, the weather was horrible and the kid had no business being up on that thing.

Lot of universities do a great job circling the wagons and protecting their own when crises happen 

[Seeking6]

Sounds like some players are boycotting. Fine by me. And the fact we play them on 11/10 has nothing to do with that. Haha..

[rico]

36 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

Sounds like some players are boycotting. Fine by me. And the fact we play them on 11/10 has nothing to do with that. Haha..

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/reports-multiple-maryland-players-walk-out-of-meeting-with-returning-coach-dj-durkin/

[Leathernecks]

The ESPN article makes it sound like the board pretty much told Loh he had 2 choices.  Be fired now and the board will pressure the next president to reinstate Durkin, or allow Durkin back and resign in June.  Or maybe Loh is just wanting to retire after this fiasco.  Not sure which way that went.

I really hope this leads to a lot of negative press for Maryland and they go down the drain.  They deserve it after letting that scumbag Durkin back into their program.

[Hoosier82]

Maryland is getting destroyed in the press right now from almost every outlet covering this story. No way this guy wins his team back. While most will play I have a hard time seeing these kids go to battle for him. There is nothing he can say or do to anyone about it. What a shortsighted and disgraceful move this was. 

[Seeking6]

I think most are probably reading the same things. How does DJ Durkin get kids to commit to his program after something like this. His recruiting has to suffer. With that I counter...how did Pitino, Petrino and others continue to land top recruiting classes year after year after the shortcomings of a head coach. Parents will buy anything as long as they think it increases Johnny's chance to get the pro level.

[Leathernecks]

50 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

I think most are probably reading the same things. How does DJ Durkin get kids to commit to his program after something like this. His recruiting has to suffer. With that I counter...how did Pitino, Petrino and others continue to land top recruiting classes year after year after the shortcomings of a head coach. Parents will buy anything as long as they think it increases Johnny's chance to get the pro level.

Louisville got recruits with cash.  Didn't matter who the coach was, just who the highest bidder was.  Maryland football isn't vying for those top recruits, so I would imagine they're getting kids who might actually have some character and this might matter to them.  Or at least I hope.

[rico]

SVP chimes in......

https://247sports.com/college/maryland/Article/Scott-Van-Pelt-Addresses-Boards-Recommendation-to-Keep-DJ-Durkin-Damon-Evans-124036417/

[Seeking6]

38 minutes ago, Leathernecks said:

Louisville got recruits with cash.  Didn't matter who the coach was, just who the highest bidder was.  Maryland football isn't vying for those top recruits, so I would imagine they're getting kids who might actually have some character and this might matter to them.  Or at least I hope.

Mike Locksley who has had multiple stints with Maryland is well known as one of the shadiest recruiters in college football. Maryland played the game (or tried) as well as anyone in both football and hoops. Locksley was with Zook at Florida and Illinois. No secret they had some of their most successful recruiting classes during those years. I mean the stories in hoops go back to the Len Bias days before Gary Williams took over a probation filled program.

My point is that I think because most of us aren't from the East we don't know Maryland. In some ways Maryland is very much like Louisville...just different part of the country. 

[rico]

47 minutes ago, Seeking6 said:

Mike Locksley who has had multiple stints with Maryland is well known as one of the shadiest recruiters in college football. Maryland played the game (or tried) as well as anyone in both football and hoops. Locksley was with Zook at Florida and Illinois. No secret they had some of their most successful recruiting classes during those years. I mean the stories in hoops go back to the Len Bias days before Gary Williams took over a probation filled program.

My point is that I think because most of us aren't from the East we don't know Maryland. In some ways Maryland is very much like Louisville...just different part of the country. 

Locksley?  Interesting.