Anyone Following the Maryland Story?

ScionOfSouthland

ScionOfSouthland

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A Maryland football player died of heat stroke after the Maryland football training staff overworked him during spring practice and didn’t take any action to reduce his body temperature while they waited on EMTs. The Athletic Director, Damon Evans (yep), has placed the head coach and some of the staff on leave during the investigation. Players are now coming forward with pretty terrible stories about the head coach and the S&C coach. It’s a pretty awful situation.
 
I have been. Didn't know if anyone on this board would necessarily be interested in it. Based on the stories, I'd say Urban Meyer was moonlighting as S&C coach at Maryland.

And the Damon Evans thing is even worse than it sounds, IMO. He was interim when this kid died, then they promoted him to the real thing and gave him a big raise. I think the parents either have sued or are about to (can't remember), so we could get even more details from that. Maryland is a potential lightning rod right now.

Makes you wonder about the 4 QBs they lose per season recently...
 
Someone dies and suddenly the coaches are abusive and evil. It could probably happen here.

I think Coach Johnson is more obsessed with focus and execution than physical conditioning, but who knows about our other coaches.

Reports via ESPN:
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.
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Who’s the HC now?

Durkin, never mind. Interim coach was former LSU OC. Didn’t know they had an offense.
 
CPJ has had many of the fall practices in the heat of Day to prepare for the USF game. Could easily happen to us. However as a high school coach myself(cross country, lacrosse) we have professionals and training on best practice during heated practices. If the kid didn’t have some type of pre existing condition these things can be avoided.
 
RussianOffense said:
Someone dies and suddenly the coaches are abusive and evil. It could probably happen here.

:
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It did happen here, except for the player dying part.

At first glance, the incident seems tame in comparison to the harsh treatment doled out by old coaches such as Bear Bryant, Woody Hayes and Vince Lombardi. But times have changed. Coaches are expected to treat players with a degree of civility and respect. Blatant physical punishment is off limits.
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https://journaltimes.com/sports/geo...cle_1b9ec4cc-93ba-5045-ac68-f73a1b85deae.html

The player died when that highly revered coach went to his next school.

"No longer will I put up with your constant verbal abuse of both our coaching staff and support staff," Ferraro wrote. "Threatening coaches on a regular basis with their jobs and racial slurs mixed in to make a point is wrong."
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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ucf-knights/os-ucf-news-0930-20140929-story.html

at times, he'll order water put out in a certain drill to build mental toughness," Watters told jurors Friday afternoon.

Watters stated no one came to Plancher's aid when he showed signs of distress.
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Plancher collapsed and died on March 18, 2008, shortly after offseason conditioning drills
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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/ucf-knights/os-ereck-plancher-trial-0625-20110624-story.html


A lot of people on here still see him as a great coach.
 
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I don’t think there is any doubt that a player could die in practice just about anywhere these days.

But with all we know now, all the better / cooler materials used in unis, all the medical equipment on the sidelines, the seemingly more professional head trainers it is hard to believe the med staff would say “drag his ass to the other side of the field.”

Hopefully, either way, the truth will come out, but d evans should be sweating bullets.

I have wondered for some time if 19 year olds can efficiently carry 330 to 350 pounds on the football field.
 
I read up on it and it's pretty disgusting. You can push kids pretty hard without resorting to those tactics. The impression I got is that Durkin was using the S&C guy like a mob enforcer.
 
The environment where people aren't paid for their work and they are forced to continue, with no regard for their safety by those tasking them, past the point of physical failure reminds me of something. Can't quite put my finger on it.
 
smokey_wasp said:
Here is the ESPN article that set this thing off. Ol' Heather Dinich has been the lead reporter on this story.

http://www.espn.com/college-footbal...rapins-football-culture-toxic-coach-dj-durkin

Honestly sounds pretty bad. You've got a lot of fomer players and staffers saying it goes beyond typical tough guy football coach stuff. We'll see.
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Yes, sounds bad, but it is written to be an "expose'" piece. Lots of anonymous material. And we all know that this is not unusual in college football. Do we really think Saban, or Fedora, or Jimbo, or Butch Jones never questioned a player's manhood? Maybe even at the Flats (gasp). With the millions to be made with a winning football program, this is inevitable.
 
ThisIsAtlanta said:
The environment where people aren't paid for their work and they are forced to continue, with no regard for their safety by those tasking them, past the point of physical failure reminds me of something. Can't quite put my finger on it.
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Hot take.
 
My initial reaction to this story was that it was probably overblown. After reading former player’s statements and all the articles, it is abundantly clear that Coach Durkin is a five star asshole. I hope the guy never coaches again.

Kudos to the press for doing their job(s).
 
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