Maryland parted ways with football Coach DJ Durkin on Wednesday evening, one day after he was reinstated. Durkin had been on administrative leave since Aug. 11, following media reports that outlined a culture of abuse, fear and intimidation that allegedly took place under his watch.
Maryland's football program and athletic department have been the focus of scrutiny for months, following the death Jordan McNair, a 19-year-old football player who suffered exertional heatstroke at a team workout in late May and died several days later. An exhaustive probe into the culture of the football program also highlighted dysfunction within the athletic department.
The decision to part ways with Durkin came following pushback from lawmakers and some players who voiced their displeasure with his reinstatement on social media. Student leaders criticized the decision, as have faculty members in College Park, Maryland.
Before Wednesday's news broke, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, R, called on the state university system's governing board to reconsider its decisions, and said he was "deeply troubled by the lack of transparency."
James Brady, chair of the board of regents, said Tuesday that Durkin’s “passion for the university, the football team and the players was absolutely impressive and very believable.” The regents presented Loh with an ultimatum of sorts: If he wanted to finish the school year and reach the end of his contract, he had to keep Durkin.