Toxic culture of Maryland football; Durkin placed on leave

FireFoley

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Good article on ESPN about this topic. I am too technologically incompetent to link the article so if anyone would like to, please do so
 

Omar's Coming Yo!

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Several current University of Maryland football players and people close to the Terrapins program describe a toxic coaching culture under head coach D.J. Durkin before offensive lineman Jordan McNair's death in June after a football workout.

McNair, who was 19, died two weeks after being hospitalized following a May 29 team workout. He collapsed after running 110-yard sprints, showing signs of extreme exhaustion and difficulty standing upright. No official cause of death has been released, but ESPN reported Friday that he died of heatstrokesuffered during the workout and had a body temperature of 106 degrees after being taken to a hospital.


Over the past several weeks, two current Maryland players, multiple people close to the football program, and former players and football staffers spoke to ESPN about the culture under Durkin, particularly strength and conditioning coach Rick Court, who was one of Durkin's first hires at Maryland back in 2015. Among what they shared about the program:

  • There is a coaching environment based on fear and intimidation. In one example, a player holding a meal while in a meeting had the meal slapped out of his hands in front of the team. At other times, small weights and other objects were thrown in the direction of players when Court was angry.

  • The belittling, humiliation and embarrassment of players is common. In one example, a player whom coaches wanted to lose weight was forced to eat candy bars as he was made to watch teammates working out.

  • Extreme verbal abuse of players occurs often. Players are routinely the targets of obscenity-laced epithets meant to mock their masculinity when they are unable to complete a workout or weight lift, for example. One player was belittled verbally after passing out during a drill.

  • Coaches have endorsed unhealthy eating habits and used food punitively; for example, a player said he was forced to overeat or eat to the point of vomiting.
The inside story of a toxic culture at Maryland football
 

Swamp Donkey

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  • In one example, a player whom coaches wanted to lose weight was forced to eat candy bars as he was made to watch teammates working out.
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BMF

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Durkin's not long for the coaching profession. I'd be surprised if he makes it to the season.
 

InstiGATOR1

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Good article on ESPN about this topic. I am too technologically incompetent to link the article so if anyone would like to, please do so

I am not sure it is a good article at all? On the one hand this article seems another attack on football to me. It is a tough sport with tough coaches. If you have watched Last Chance U at all, you can understand why coaches think they need to be extra tough to motivate some college players.
 

TLB

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What did the players expect, hugs? A lot of this is what football has always been in an effort to toughen kids up and motivate them. Can coaches go to far? Yeah. But the quotes sound like millennial football players that need a teddy bear, not a football.
 

Gator Fever

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What did the players expect, hugs? A lot of this is what football has always been in an effort to toughen kids up and motivate them. Can coaches go to far? Yeah. But the quotes sound like millennial football players that need a teddy bear, not a football.

I agree and you will always have the heat stroke freak incident on very rare occasions. As long as they are pushing staying hydrated and making it clear if you feel like something isn't right in the heat to get with staff right away that is enough imo. I guess you will get the player not wanting to show he is having issues but not sure how you can eliminate that totally in a sport you have to get the work in like that in the heat most times.
 

Swamp Donkey

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I agree and you will always have the heat stroke freak incident on very rare occasions.
There is nothing freak about it. It is simple water out and water in (absent a very, very rare conditions). It is a failure of the coaches and training staff. There is no excuse. You watch them, you force hydration if you have to (each person finishes one bottle or canteen every so often) and you monitor them (often with weights on and off the field in case you missed something).

All those idiot neanderthal motherfvkkers who used to think that running kids without water some how makes them tougher are mostly gone. There is zero science to support that and plenty of science to support that dehydrated kids lose so much cognitive function that you were hurting yourself by missing out on effective practice time, which is severely limited in today's NCAA rules.

In the military they COURT-MARTIAL NCOs and officers if their soldiers become heat casualties. If you aren't in combat with no ability to get water, there is ZERO excuse for this. If you want to be in charge of soldiers or athletes, you do it right.
 
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divits

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My receivers coach in HS would literally kick me in the ass every time I bent over to puke during August two-a-days. Never gave it a second thought until right now. It must have been repressed abuse that was just too painful for me to deal with and has since manifested itself in self destructive behavior that caused me to live a happy life free of a feeling of victimhood. I've missed out on some great paydays.
 

Gator Fever

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There is nothing freak about it. It is simple water out and water in (absent a very, very rare conditions). It is a failure of the coaches and training staff. There is no excuse. You watch them, you force hydration if you have to (each person finishes one bottle or canteen every so often) and you monitor them (often with weights on and off the field in case you missed something).

All those idiot neanderthal motherfvkkers who used to think that running kids without water some how makes them tougher are mostly gone. There is zero science to support that and plenty of science to support that dehydrated kids lose so much cognitive function that you were hurting yourself by missing out on effective practice time, which is severely limited in today's NCAA rules.

In the military they COURT-MARTIAL NCOs and officers if their soldiers become heat casualties. If you aren't in combat with no ability to get water, there is ZERO excuse for this. If you want to be in charge of soldiers or athletes, you do it right.

In the Army In Basic they pushed staying hydrated and even watched you put water down at times and gave the speech about letting someone know if something didn't feel right and we had a guy die of heat stroke in the unit next to us.
 

Swamp Donkey

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That's one drill sergeant who is now a drill private.
 

Gator Fever

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That's one drill sergeant who is now a drill private.

Nope it was mid 80s but no one got in big trouble. They did take the drill sergeant out of the unit while they made sure they were following protocol I guess.

After it happened they just drilled it into us even more to say something if something doesn't feel right but I am sure many won't as they don't want to look like they can't hang. I don't see how you can totally eliminate that with how human nature is.
 

stephenPE

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There is nothing freak about it. It is simple water out and water in (absent a very, very rare conditions). It is a failure of the coaches and training staff. There is no excuse. You watch them, you force hydration if you have to (each person finishes one bottle or canteen every so often) and you monitor them (often with weights on and off the field in case you missed something).
We must have been made of tougher stuff in the early 70s. Or spent so much time outside our bodies were acclimated. My old coach would practice us 3 hours in the Aug heat with no water.........we would start out with about 40 each year and end up with about 20 that stayed. He was an ex gator FB from the Woodruff/Graves era.
 

Gator Fever

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We must have been made of tougher stuff in the early 70s. Or spent so much time outside our bodies were acclimated. My old coach would practice us 3 hours in the Aug heat with no water.........we would start out with about 40 each year and end up with about 20 that stayed. He was an ex gator FB from the Woodruff/Graves era.

This is what needs to be eliminated and probably has for the most part with recent high profile incidents.
 

oxrageous

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Nothing more than yet another attack on football. I think we all know that the days are numbered for the sport.
 

stephenPE

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I agree with Law. Water is essential and keeping an eye on heatstroke. Just practice early or late or at night in the summer.
 

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