UMD Student Government Association Organizing 'Justice for Jordan' McNair Rally
The University of Maryland student government association has organized a rally in protest of the school's board of regents' decision to reinstate football coach DJ Durkin after an investigation into the program.
The rally to "demand justice for Jordan McNair" will be held Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET, according to a Facebook event. McNair collapsed from heatstroke at a May 29 team workout and died two weeks later on June 13.
Durkin has been on administrative leave since Aug. 11, when ESPN released a report detailing a "toxic culture" within the football program.
A Timeline of Jordan McNair's Death, DJ Durkin's Firing and Its Aftermath
The board recommended Tuesday that Durkin return from administrative leave and for athletic director Damon Evans to retain his job. University president Wallace D. Loh also announced that he plans to retire at the end of the 2018-19 academic year.
Following the Tuesday announcement, several Maryland players reportedly walked out of a team meeting. McNair's father, Marty McNair, said, "I feel like I've been punched in the stomach, and somebody spit in my face."
In August, Loh and Evans announced that they apologized to McNair’s parents and that "the university accepts legal and moral responsibility for the mistakes our training staff made on that fateful workout day of May 29." Loh said the training staff “misdiagnosed” McNair’s situation, and Evans revealed that McNair did not have his temperature taken, nor was he given cold water immersion to lower his body temperature. Maryland was found culpable in McNair's death.
