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University system regents votes to assume authority over UMD Football crisis

The vote to go into executive session during the hastily-called meeting was unanimous.
Credit: UMD football

BALTIMORE, Md. -- The University System of Maryland Board of Regents voted on Friday to assume authority and control over the investigation into the death of a 19-year-old football player.

The Maryland Board of Regent called a special session Friday to discuss the fallout after the death of 19-year-old football player Jordan McNair and allegations that the football program is poisoned by an atmosphere of bullying, intimidation and humiliation.

Head coach D.J. Durkin is on administrative leave pending an investigation. Strength and conditioning coach Rick Court has resigned.

The vote to go into executive session during the hastily-called meeting was unanimous. Board members scattered across the state established a quorum and met via a conference call.

Executive sessions where discussions occur in secret about sensitive matters such as personnel and litigation are routine, according to USM spokesman Rick Lurie.

"It happens at virtually every Board of Regents meeting," Lurie said in an email.

The board cited state law allowing confidential discussions when considering "The appointment, employment, assignment, promotion, discipline, demotion, compensation, removal, resignation, or performance evaluation of appointees, employees or officials..."

Durkin and the football program will be the subject of an internal investigation announced by University of Maryland President Wallace Loh, which Loh said will guide the University in any personnel or policy changes it may make.

But Loh is not the final authority. The Board of Regents oversees the entire $5 billion university system in Maryland which includes 12 institutions.

Durkin makes $2.5 million a year.

Loh apologized to the family of Jordan McNair and said the University accepts "legal" and "moral" responsibility for his death.

Allegations of a toxic culture in the UMD program were exposed by reporting by ESPN which documented complaints by former players of systematic bullying, humiliation and harassment of players by the coaching staff.

McNair died after suffering an apparent heat stroke as he struggled to keep up with a workout May 29 supervised by Court.

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