An independent review of the University of Maryland's football program stopped short of calling the program's culture "toxic," but it did find there was a "culture where problems festered because too many players feared speaking out."
The Baltimore Sun obtained a copy of the roughly 200-page report, which the University System of Maryland's governing body has not released. They were scheduled to continue discussing its findings during a private conference call Thursday afternoon.
The football program has been under increased scrutiny since the death of 19-year-old Jordan McNair, who suffered heatstroke during a May 29 practice in College Park. This investigation into the state flagship's football program _ which is being overseen by the Board of Regents _ was catalyzed by explosive media reports that described coaches as bullying, demeaning and intimidating certain players.
"We do not find that the culture caused the tragic death of Jordan McNair," the report states.
The eight-person commission tasked with examining the football team culture _ which includes former Gov. Robert Ehrlich, retired U.S. District Court judges Ben Legg and Alex Williams, and former prosecutor Charlie Scheeler _ interviewed more than 150 people, including 55 student-athletes who played football under head football coach DJ Durkin, who has been on administrative leave.
The investigation found "contradictory accounts of many events." The report chronicles "events illustrating the dysfunction of the Athletics Department from 2016 through 2018, many of which impacted the football team."
It found that the athletics department "lacked a culture of accountability" and was plagued by frequent turnover, dissension and infighting.
A former coach compared the athletic department's dysfunction to Washington politics.
Strength and conditioning coach Rick Court, who was at the center of many media allegations, "was effectively accountable to no one," the report found. Court "engaged in abusive conduct during his tenure at Maryland," according to the report, and would "attempt to humiliate teammates" by throwing food, weights and, once, a trash can full of vomit. Some players described Court's actions as a "motivational tactic" but the commission determined he crossed the line.
Amid swirling stories, some details were consistent: Court's profanity was often "excessive and personal in nature." Court resigned in August.
"Court's favorite words were p---- b----, calling people fat, bringing people's family into it," one former player told investigators, referencing derogatory terms for women.
The report notes that Court was never given a performance review.
Durkin claims that it was not his responsibility to supervise Court, although it was Durkin's decision to hire him. They worked closely together every day, and Durkin delegated many responsibilities to Court. The head coach, the commission found, "bears some responsibility when Mr. Court ... exhibits unacceptable behavior."
"The confusion over to whom Mr. Court reported is a striking illustration of the Athletics Department's disarray," the report reads.
The culture report is the second athletic investigation by the board of regents. The first review _ the results of which were released Sept. 21 _ was commissioned to analyze athletic department protocols and procedures related to the teenager's death.
That report, led by sports medicine consultant Dr. Rod Walters, found athletics staff made a host of errors May 29, the day McNair fell ill during practice _ including failing to immerse the offensive lineman in cold water, which experts say is in line with best practices.
University president Wallace Loh has publicly said the school takes "legal and moral responsibility" for mistakes in treating the student-athlete.
The latest report contains interviews with players, many of whom leveled scathing criticism against the team's culture.
Despite that, the commission members said they didn't find a "uniform rejection" of the coaching staff. To meet the "toxic" standard, the report states, the culture would have to be "extremely harsh, malicious, or harmful." They determined it did not.
If the program had been truly toxic, the commission wrote, Durkin would not have earned the "loyalty and respect" of many players and their families, who have spoken out in support of him over the past several weeks.
Durkin was interviewed for 10 hours, and the commission found "his concern for his players' welfare is genuine."
The commission confronted the belief held by many that Durkin and Court's tactics reflected those in "big time" football programs across the country. Durkin modeled his program after Ohio State University's Urban Meyer and Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, who the report characterizes as "tough, no nonsense leaders."
One section of the review lays out that "pushing the human body to its limit" has always been a hallmark of sports.
"Football is a 'gladiator sport' where pushing to and through exhaustion is celebrated," it reads.
In anonymous surveys, the Maryland football team's culture "fared poorly" compared with other college teams and Court's "scores were extremely poor by any standard," the commission found. Players noted that "scars lingered from Coach Court's abusive language and conduct during his first season."
Player after player said coaches treated players harshly and disrespectfully, according to the report.
"It is a somewhat toxic culture. It is an alpha male one. ... They use humiliation and talk down to payers," one current player said.
Another said: "I certainly have witnessed a mentality where everything is hyper-aggressive and there was no room for players to show weakness. The situation that occurred this summer was a clear culmination of that with someone who didn't look out for himself when he didn't feel well because he felt the pressure from around him to not look like a 'failure.'"
Yet another said: "I have heard players and myself called "p----" for being unable to complete workouts and the constant foul language has become accustomed to our culture."
However, some players defended the coaching staff: "Using harsh language is standard for any team. It's a bunch of alphas, dog eat dog," said one former player.
University of Maryland spokeswoman Katie Lawson said college officials have received the report and are reviewing it.
"The university is committed to a fair and accountable process. We will continue that commitment as we work to ensure the safety and well-being of our student-athletes," she said in a statement.
