The results of the investigation into the Maryland football culture is expected to be presented at a Board of Regents meeting on Friday but will not be discussed publicly until next week at the earliest, the University System of Maryland announced Wednesday.
In August, this university created a commission to review the program following ESPN reports on allegations of abuse under coach DJ Durkin and the role it may have played in the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair in June. The Board of Regents — which sets policy for the University System of Maryland’s 12 member institutions — assumed control of the investigation shortly after.
After being briefed on the results at its regular meeting Friday, the board will meet again for a special session Tuesday to “begin the process of making any decisions,” according to a statement from the system. Potential recommendations or public release of the findings are expected in the week following that special session.
[Read more: “A deep loss”: Following the death of Maryland football’s Jordan McNair]
“Members of the board will need appropriate time to study the findings, ask follow-up questions, come to conclusions, and consider any potential outcomes,” James Brady, the chair of the board, said in a statement. “As public servants, we have an obligation to take the time necessary to get this right.”
The Board of Regents has hiring and firing authority over university presidents, who control personnel decisions at their respective campuses. There will not be “media availabilities or statements” at either the regular meeting Friday or the closed session Tuesday, according to the system’s statement.
Immediately following McNair’s death, the university launched an external review of the May 29 workout where he suffered fatal heatstroke. The results of that investigation were presented by sports medicine consultant Rod Walters late last month. Walters made no personnel recommendations.
[Read more: Despite mounting evidence, top boosters stand by Maryland football’s DJ Durkin]
In the days following ESPN’s reports in mid-August, the university placed Durkin and three other staffers — strength and conditioning coach Rick Court, athletic training director Steve Nordwall and head football athletic trainer Wes Robinson — on administrative leave, and Court subsequently resigned. On Aug. 14, university President Wallace Loh and athletic director Damon Evans held a press conference to accept “legal and moral” responsibility for McNair’s death and announce the formation of the commission.
Three days later, the regents voted to assume control of the Walters investigation and the then-nascent culture investigation.
Loh originally said the investigation would be conducted by a four-person group — retired U.S. District court judges Ben Legg and Alex Williams, former prosecutor Charlie Scheeler and an unnamed former football coach.
Since assuming control of the investigation, the board has announced the addition of former Maryland governor Robert Ehrlich, former Maryland basketball player Tom McMillen, former NFL quarterback Doug Williams, sports medicine expert Frederick Azar and sports journalist Bonnie Bernstein to the group.
Some of the members’ connections to Maryland and athletics have prompted questions about the sanctity of the investigation. According to The Washington Post, Williams had previously served as a pro bono personal advisor to Loh. Scheeler’s brother, Don, is a former Terrapin Club president, and Bernstein is an alumna of this university.
Barry Gossett, one of the athletic department’s most prominent boosters, also serves as vice-chair of the board.
This article has been updated.
