605 replies to this topic

[BSLMikeLowe]

Right. It's disappointing that this came out like it did (and I'm upset at myself because I ran with it, too).

It does seem to show, though, that there is more to the toxic environment around the program than just the coaching staff. Good on the players that called Barber out, though I've already seen elsewhere people talking like the players are covering for Lees.

 

That's entirely possible too. Which would only further illustrate that the media continues to circle the program and these kids like vultures, ready to run with anything they hear, even when it has nothing to do with the big picture and would never make news otherwise.

[DJ MC]

With impassioned speech, University of Maryland football coach DJ Durkin changed course of regents' decision

 

https://www.baltimor...1102-story.html

 

“DJ gave one of the great halftime speeches of all time,” one source said. “It’s got to be one of the great all-time orations. He talked about his mission and his passion. He had the board convinced we’re on the verge of beating Ohio State and Penn State if we stick with DJ. ”

 

1. Can you believe this shit?

 

2. Can we please stop calling him by his first name?

[BSLMikeLowe]

I'm actually not that shocked. Durkin has always been a great recruiter. When it comes down to it this really wasn't all that much different than going into a kid's living room and selling him and his parents on you and your program.

 

For that reason, I don't think he'll be out of coaching for more than a year, two at most.

[DJ MC]

I'm actually not that shocked. Durkin has always been a great recruiter. When it comes down to it this really wasn't all that much different than going into a kid's living room and selling him and his parents on you and your program.

 

For that reason, I don't think he'll be out of coaching for more than a year, two at most.

 

Yeah, but these aren't 17-year-olds looking for the best path to glory and possibly the NFL. They are people with life experience investigating serious allegations with the reputation of a university at stake. We're likely never going to see the transcript of the speech, but if that is his tone I find it hard to believe he was doing anything but playing on the Regents' desire for football success.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Yeah, but these aren't 17-year-olds looking for the best path to glory and possibly the NFL. They are people with life experience investigating serious allegations with the reputation of a university at stake. We're likely never going to see the transcript of the speech, but if that is his tone I find it hard to believe he was doing anything but playing on the Regents' desire for football success.

 

I'm not trying to make excuses for the board. They shouldn't have even needed to talk to Durkin to arrive at the right choice. But a lot of people can easily fall for a well-presented sales pitch. If what we read before they met was true, there were people on the board who were definitely against him returning, so I don't think it was that easy. I think Durkin first had to sell the holdouts on the belief that the furor would die down quickly and that ultimately having a winning football program would outweigh the criticism....then he had to sell them that he was the right man to continue what he started.

[glenn__davis]

When Passion Clouds Judgment: A Maryland Story

 

https://passionsinam...px#.W9ySeYanGUl

 

The very premise of the article is flawed.  The presumption is that every time a tragedy like this happens the obvious move is that the coach must be fired.  Yet to my knowledge this rarely has happened in other similar tragic situations.  In fact, when McNair first died there was very little uproar.  The thread about it on here had something like 15 responses, none of which were calling for the coach's head.  So perhaps the answer here was not quite as obvious as the author made it seem to be.

[McNulty]

The very premise of the article is flawed. The presumption is that every time a tragedy like this happens the obvious move is that the coach must be fired. Yet to my knowledge this rarely has happened in other similar tragic situations. In fact, when McNair first died there was very little uproar. The thread about it on here had something like 15 responses, none of which were calling for the coach's head. So perhaps the answer here was not quite as obvious as the author made it seem to be.

That’s because no one knew that it was so easily preventable.

[glenn__davis]

That’s because no one knew that it was so easily preventable.

I don't think the author of the piece addressed that sufficiently, but that said, very fair point.

[Mackus]

That’s because no one knew that it was so easily preventable.

Or knew about the things that Court was doing to the players at Durkin''s behest.

[SportsGuy]

Not to mention, things like this can happen to people. Some people have undiagnosed health issues.

This could have happened to McNair even if they did everything properly. It wouldn’t have been fair to just throw Durkin and the university under the bus in the beginning, when we didn’t know all the facts as of yet.

[DJ MC]

Right. Shit happens, but it's when easily preventable and senseless shit happens that people get, rightfully, upset about it.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Testudo Times: Maryland fires athletic trainers Wes Robinson, Steve Nordwall

 

Dunno why that took so long.

[BSLZackKiesel]

Baltimore Sun: Placed on leave, University of Maryland's Durkin continued to advise football team through assistant coaches

 

Durkin told a task force that assistant coaches sent him game film to review so he could help create game plans.

 

Sources also said Durkin’s continuing role was shared with and discussed by the state university system’s Board of Regents, which cleared him Oct. 30 to return as coach before he was dismissed one day later by university president Wallace Loh.

 

Whether university officials approved Durkin’s involvement while on leave is in dispute. Durkin told the regents his activity was approved by athletic director Damon Evans, two sources said. And Durkin told the task force he was responding to requests for advice from the assistants and that the university had not limited such contact.

[Mackus]

The incompetence shown at every step here is truly staggering.

[birdwatcher55]

Evans needs to go! Total joke program.

[BSLMikeLowe]

So Durkin really just spent 2.5 months telecommuting. Great, just great.

[Mike B]

Evans has more lives than a cat.    It is pretty clear that he and the entire football staff clearly do not get it.

 

Maryland needs to clear house.  I have a feeling that what is left of the football program will be nowhere near Division one level.

 

Maryland may have a more challenging rebuild than the Orioles.

[JeremyStrain]

Evans has more lives than a cat.    It is pretty clear that he and the entire football staff clearly do not get it.

 

Maryland needs to clear house.  I have a feeling that what is left of the football program will be nowhere near Division one level.

 

Maryland may have a more challenging rebuild than the Orioles.

 

I heard Evans is not out of the woods yet. A new president is very likely going to want to distance themselves from this debacle, and he would be the first to go.

 

It's interesting this all happened with Loh at the helm, he is very much an acadmics first, athletics second president, maybe he just gave them too much rope and autonomy, but makes you wonder if the new President will have a different take on athletics.

[BSLMikeLowe]

It's interesting this all happened with Loh at the helm, he is very much an acadmics first, athletics second president, maybe he just gave them too much rope and autonomy, but makes you wonder if the new President will have a different take on athletics.

 

Bingo. His "front porch" analogy notwithstanding, it seems Loh couldn't be bothered to provide any oversight to his athletics department and just left everything to his incompetent AD. Then when things inevitably went to shit, he finally decided that maybe he needed to step in. And even then he failed to do the right thing until the public pressure forced him to locate his spine. Wallace Loh might be good at the other parts of running a university, but he failed UM big time here, and he needs to be gone, now....not next June, which gives him too much time to change his mind, now. And he can take Evans with him.

[Mackus]

I think Evans is the bigger problem than Loh, but agree that both should be gone.  They failed here immensely.  However Loh has a long history of being good for the university and not being a piece of shit.  Evans on the other and...doesn't exactly have such a background, to put it mildly.