Report: Culture at Maryland is troubled, not toxic

WVU routs Baylor; No. 25 Appalachian State is toppled

The exhaustive 198-page external report that will help the University System of Maryland Board of Regents decide the fate of football coach DJ Durkin painted a troubling picture of the embattled program but stopped short of saying the environment in College Park was “toxic.”

“The commission found that the Maryland football team did not have a ‘toxic culture,’ but it did have a culture where problems festered because too many players feared speaking out,” according to a copy of the report obtained Thursday by The Washington Post.

The board received the report from the commission at its regularly scheduled meeting Oct. 19. Its members also received a PowerPoint presentation from the committee, summarizing the findings at that time. The board then reconvened for a special meeting Tuesday in Baltimore, where the 17 regents discussed what actions to take. They agreed only to meet again Thursday afternoon via conference call to further discuss the matter. The report has not been made public, and no commission members or regents have discussed its findings.

The report made no recommendations regarding Durkin or any other athletic department personnel. The board has made no personnel decisions but could announce some actions in the coming days.

While the board of regents refused to provide university President Wallace Loh or his staff with the report last week, a school spokeswoman said in a statement they received a copy Wednesday.

“The University is committed to a fair and accountable process,” the school said in a statement Thursday afternoon. “We will continue that commitment as we work to ensure the safety and well-being of our student-athletes.”

The commission found that “during Mr. Durkin’s tenure, the Athletics Department lacked a culture of accountability, did not provide adequate oversight of the football program, and failed to provide Mr. Durkin with the tools, resources, and guidance necessary to support and educate a firsttime head coach in a major football conference.”

The investigation was launched in August, following media reports that alleged abuse and bullying in the program in the wake of offensive lineman Jordan McNair’s death. McNair, 19, suffered exertional heatstroke during a team workout on May 29 and died 15 days later. Durkin has been on administrative leave since Aug. 11, and Rick Court, his strength and conditioning coach, resigned Aug. 13.

According to the report, the commission interviewed 55 former players who played under Durkin, the parents of 24 players, 60 current and former athletic department staff members, 12 university officials not in the athletic department and 14 other people with “college football expertise” or “miscellaneous individuals.”

TENNESSEE: Offensive tackle Trey Smith is out indefinitely after doctors discovered blood clots in his lungs, a recurrence of an issue that also caused him to miss spring practice.

Thursday games

No. 13 WEST VIRGINIA 58, BAYLOR 14: In Morgantown, W.Va., Will Grier threw three touchdown passes and West Virginia used a big second quarter to cruise to a Big 12 victory over Baylor (4-4, 2-3).

The Mountaineers (6-1, 4-1) bounced back from a blowout loss at Iowa State with arguably their best performances of the season on both sides of the ball.

During a 31-point second quarter, Grier had TD tosses of 25 and 65 yards to David Sills, and Grier ran for a 1-yard score for a 41-0 halftime lead. It marked the most points in a quarter for the Mountaineers since they scored 35 against Clemson in the Orange Bowl following the 2011 season.

GA. SOUTHERN 34, No. 25 APPALACHIAN STATE 14: In Statesboro, Ga., Shai Werts rushed for 129 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown run, as Georgia Southern upset Appalachian State to spoil the Mountaineers’ first week in the Top 25.

Werts threw a 57-yard scoring pass to Darion Anderson early in the second quarter. It was Werts’ only completion in three attempts for Georgia Southern (7-1, 4-0 Sun Belt). Appalachian State drops to 5-2, 3-1.