Embattled Durkin fired at Maryland

One day after reinstating football coach DJ Durkin — and unleashing a torrent of criticism — the University of Maryland reversed course Wednesday and announced his firing.

Durkin had spent the first two months of the season on administrative leave following the death of 19-year-old lineman Jordan McNair, who succumbed to heat-related illness suffered during an organized team workout.

The university Board of Regents’ decision to allow the coach back on the sideline had prompted outrage from players and the student government. The state’s governor had also raised questions about the move.

“The overwhelming majority of stakeholders expressed serious concerns about Coach DJ Durkin returning to the campus,” university President Wallace D. Loh said in a statement. “This is a difficult decision, but it is the right one for our entire university.”

Loh appeared to confirm reports that he had opposed the board’s initial recommendation, saying: “The chair of the Board of Regents has publicly acknowledged that I had previously raised concerns about Coach Durkin’s return.”

McNair began showing signs of heat-related illness May 29 after running sprints at a workout and was hospitalized. He died June 13.

The university acknowledged “legal and moral responsibility” for mistakes made in his emergency medical care, parting ways with the team’s strength and conditioning coach and establishing an independent commission to study the incident. Subsequent media reports alleged an abusive, perhaps dangerous, environment within the football program.

The independent commission’s investigation found what officials characterized as “troubling behaviors” in and around the team. It also verified that athletic trainers initially failed to diagnose and treat McNair’s symptoms.