Jordan McNair

Jordan Martin McNair (March 3, 1999 – June 13, 2018) was an American football player from Randallstown, Maryland, who played on the offensive line.

[4] He was airlifted later that night to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center[5] to receive an emergency liver transplant,[6] where he died on June 13.

[9] This was corroborated by a report published by ESPN in August, with teammates and medical staff noticing that McNair suffered an apparent seizure at approximately 5 pm, one hour before a 911 call was placed.

[20] The Walters report found that trainers failed to identify the symptoms of exertional heat illness, did not take sufficiently aggressive measures to treat McNair's elevated core temperature,[11]: 18  and the University's catastrophic incident guideline was not followed.

[11]: 19–20  When questioned for the development of the Walters report, the head trainer stated he was afraid McNair could have drowned if they had attempted immersing him in cold water to lower his body temperature.

[11]: 27–29  A witness recalled a coach forcing McNair to finish the sequence of sprints despite struggling mightily, telling his teammates to "drag his ass across the field".

[5] After McNair's death, ESPN questioned current and former players for Maryland football as well as people close to the program, going on to publish an investigative report on August 10, 2018.

"[28] Many of the individuals interviewed described the coaches carrying out questionable behaviors such as: In the wake of these allegations, the University accepted responsibility for McNair's death and placed several athletic staffers, including Court, on administrative leave.

[29] President Loh and director of athletics Damon Evans met privately with McNair's parents in the morning of August 14 to apologize personally before making a public admission of responsibility and follow-up actions later that afternoon.

[32][33] The panel consisted of:[34]: 18–20 In a letter sent to parents of Maryland players before the ESPN report's publication, Durkin stated that he was aware of the investigation and that he is fully cooperating with it.

[15][36] On August 11, 2018, Durkin was also placed on administrative leave and Matt Canada was named interim head coach until the culture investigation was completed.

[16] Members of the Champions Club, an athletic booster organization at Maryland, expressed their support for Durkin in a letter sent to the board of regents later in August.

[37] Members of the Champions Club stated there was no evidence of a toxic culture and that Durkin could be "welcomed back by the fans, by the players, by the donors with open arms.

[39][40] The report leaked ahead of its public release; according to a copy obtained by the Associated Press in late October,[17] it faulted the Athletics Department for not adequately supporting Durkin,[34]: 5–7  blamed Court for unacceptably abusive behavior,[34]: 7–8  and concluded that "Maryland's football culture was not toxic" by definition.

[34]: 13  The conclusion that the culture was "not toxic" was ridiculed by sports writers Claire McNear (for The Ringer),[41] Tom Ley (for Deadspin),[42] Richard Johnson (for SB Nation),[43] and Jeff Seidel (for Forbes).

[53] In August 2018, before the start of the 2018 season, the University of Maryland football team announced they have temporarily retired McNair's jersey number 79 until 2020.

Dozens of Maryland football players attended the athletic event while wearing white t-shirts bearing McNair's jersey number 79.