Regents recommend Durkin retain his job
BALTIMORE — The University System of Maryland board of regents recommended Tuesday that Terrapins football coach DJ Durkin retain his job, opening the door for him to return to the team as soon as this week.
“We believe Coach Durkin has been unfairly blamed for the dysfunction in the athletic department,” said Jim Brady, chairman of the board of regents. “He has acknowledged his role in the athletic department’s shortcomings.”
Durkin has been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 11, following the death of a player who collapsed during practice and an investigation of bullying by the Maryland coaching staff.
The recommendation by the board of regents followed the release of a 198-page external report on the culture of the program.
The investigation cited university president Wallace Loh and athletic director Damon Evans as having a part in the troubled program, but Brady said the board recommended both men be retained, along with Durkin.
“We are not saying people didn’t make mistakes. They each made mistakes and have acknowledged those shortcomings,” Brady said. “We are saying that, despite those mistakes, our judgment is that these individuals are best-placed to immediately carry out the reforms necessary to safeguard the well-being of student-athletes and help them be successful as individuals and as a team.”
Loh said players have been contacted that Durkin “is coming back.” The president said it’s up to Evans to decide whether Durkin is on sideline Saturday against visiting Michigan State.
“We believe that (Durkin) is a good man and a good coach who is devoted to the well-being of the student-athletes under his charge,” Brady said. “He is also at the beginning of his coaching career, with a great deal of promise and much still to learn. We believe he deserves the opportunity.”
Loh on Tuesday announced his intention to retire in June 2019. Comparing the football program to a ship in a storm, Loh said he would “navigate that ship to calmer waters” before stepping down.
During Durkin’s absence, offensive coordinator Matt Canada is serving as interim head coach. The Terrapins are 5-3 under his guidance.
The 40-year-old Durkin was poised to enter his third year at Maryland when offensive lineman Jordan McNair was overcome by heat and exhaustion on May 29 and died on June 13. McNair’s parents have called for Durkin to be fired.