Maryland accepts responsibility in McNair death

12:02 pm | August 14, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:

3:47 PM ET

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh on Tuesday said the university accepts “legal and moral responsibility” for mistakes made by its athletic training staff at a workout on May 29, which ultimately led to the death of 19-year-old offensive lineman Jordan McNair on June 13 from heatstroke.

The university also has parted ways with assistant athletics director for sports performance Rick Court, who resigned, according to a letter he posted on Twitter, and reached a financial settlement with the university Tuesday.

Loh said he and athletic director Damon Evans visited with the family of McNair in Baltimore earlier Tuesday morning to “to express on behalf of the university our apology for the loss of their son on that fateful day of May 29th.

“They entrusted their son to us, and he did not return home.”

According to Billy Murphy, the McNair family attorney, McNair had a body temperature of 106 degrees when he was admitted to Washington Adventist hospital on May 29, and nobody from Maryland called 911 until an hour after McNair suffered a seizure at 5 p.m.

Evans said McNair “did not receive appropriate medical care and mistakes were made by some of our athletic training personnel.”

McNair died two weeks later.

“We will do everything within our power to ensure that no University of Maryland student-athlete is ever again put in a situation where his or her safety and life are at foreseeable risk,” Loh said.

According to preliminary findings from a university-hired external investigation led by Walters Inc., the Maryland staff did not take McNair’s temperature at the workout, did not apply a cold water immersion treatment and did not follow the emergency response plan appropriately.

“The care provided was not consistent with best practices and heat illness was not properly identified or treated,” Evans said.

The independent review comes among a whirlwind of fallout from an ESPN report detailing allegations of verbal abuse, bullying, and a general disregard for the players’ well-being that centered around Court and was enabled by head coach DJ Durkin.

“We will not tolerate any behavior from any employee within Maryland athletics that is detrimental to the mental or physical well-being of our student athletes,” Evans said.

Court, in his resignation letter, said he was “stepping down to allow the team to heal and move forward.”

Durkin was put on paid administrative leave Saturday, with offensive coordinator Matt Canada now serving as the team’s interim coach.

On Friday, the school placed head football athletic trainer Wes Robinson and director of athletic training Steve Nordwall on administrative leave, sources told ESPN.

Loh said Durkin and others suspended after the ESPN report last week deserve “due process.”

The conclusion of the Walters Inc. investigation is expected on Sept. 15.

Maryland opens its season against Texas on Sept. 1.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg contributed to this report.

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