Maryland culpable in player’s death
TOWSON , MD. » An independent investigation into the death of University of Maryland football player Jordan McNair has determined that trainers on the scene did not follow proper procedures after he collapsed on the field.
The report provided details of what happened and confirmed what university officials previously acknowledged.
McNair was hospitalized on May 29 after a team workout and died June 13. The family attorney said the cause of death was heatstroke.
Dr. Rod Walters, a former college athletic trainer and sports medicine consultant who led the investigation launched by the school following McNair’s death, said Friday that it was 1 hour, 39 minutes between the time McNair collapsed and the departure of the ambulance from the campus.
“There was the failure to identify escalating symptoms associated with heat illness, including assessing vital signs, identifying the condition and aggressively treating the patient’s elevated core temperature,” Walters said. “No apparatus was used for prompt cooling of the patient. Inadequate cooling devices were used, such as cold towels, ice packs, etc.”
Maryland athletic direcJordan tor Damon Evans acknowlMcNair edged last month that “mis
takes were made” by the training staff in the treatment of McNair, a 19yearold sophomore offensive lineman. University President Wallace Loh visited McNair’s parents to offer a personal apology for how the situation was handled.
Terrapins head coach DJ Durkin, who was not at the press conference, is on administrative leave while an unrelated external investigation into the culture of the football program is being conducted.
According to the report, Durkin was on the scene when McNair collapsed. His role in the events that followed was not made clear.
Much of Walters’ report focused on recommendations that would prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.
The list of changes already implemented, according to the school, include an increase in doctors and training at practices and games; additional onsite cooling stations to football training camp and practices consisting of portable spray misters, recovery drinks and cooling towels; and increasing the number and length of recovery breaks.
Loh was candid last month when talking about the school’s role in McNair’s death.
“They entrusted their son to us, and he did not return home,” Loh said of McNair’s parents. “The University accepts legal and moral responsibility for the mistakes that were made on that fateful day . ... They misdiagnosed the situation.”
On that day, the law firm of Murphy, Falcon & Murphy, which represents the McNair family, wrote in a statement: “While Marty and Tonya will never get another day with Jordan, Dr. Loh’s words were meaningful to them and give them some comfort that he will put the University on the path to change the culture of the program so that no Terrapin family will have to endure the heartache and grief that they feel.”