Former Maryland player's mother sent letter to university warning of alleged abuse in 2016
Investigators are expected to wrap up their investigation into allegations of abuse within the Maryland football program as early as Monday, coming nearly two weeks after the investigative report was released in the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair.
Maryland has been alleged to have a “toxic” football culture under head coach D.J. Durkin, who is currently on administrative leave. Multiple school officials have said they did not know of any abuse or bullying allegations surrounding the football program before allegations surfaced last month.
According to a report on Sunday from the Washington Post, one parent of a former player actually contacted the university in December 2016 — more than a year before McNair’s death — warning them about what she saw as a “calamitous culture and abusive behavior” within the program.
The mother, who spoke to the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity and did not sign the letter, said it was hand-delivered to Maryland president Wallace D. Loh’s office and emailed to then-athletic director Kevin Anderson, athletic department medical administrators and the compliance office.
She warned in the letter that head coach D.J. Durkin was “orchestrating valorous suffering on the football athletes” and that he allowed his coaches to “psychologically, physically, and emotionally abuse” players.
“Are any of you aware or do you even care about the number of student athletes suffering from severe emotional distress because of the abusive actions of Coach Durkin?” the mother asked in the letter. “His actions are extreme and outrageous; intentional and reckless, and the sole cause of the emotional distress.”
The mother said she didn’t know whether the commission who is investigating the program has seen her letter, though a school spokesperson told the Washington Post on Saturday that it will be shared “so that they consider it as part of the review of the culture of our football program.”
“I am sad beyond belief that it took the death of one’s child to actually be listened to,” the mother told the Washington Post.
The investigation into McNair’s death found that the Maryland training staff did not follow proper procedures in addressing symptoms exhibited by McNair on May 29. The university has said it accepts “legal and moral responsibility” for “mistakes made” that day.
“I have committed as President that we will take the appropriate actions based on the conclusions of the investigation,” Loh said in a statement. “These allegations are upsetting and underline the importance of the independent review to ensure that all allegations are fully examined. I encourage anyone with information to contact the commission.”
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