The decision to keep DJ Durkin as head coach at Maryland is no longer sticking to sports.
In a scathing statement released on Wednesday afternoon, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan called upon the UMD Board of Regents and the school president himself to “reconsider” their recent personnel decisions made yesterday by saying they have let down the state and the entire university system with their actions:
Today, I issued the following statement on the University System of Maryland Board of Regents’ announcements yesterday: pic.twitter.com/ihpoZnEp9v
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) October 31, 2018
The governor’s statement comes in the wake of near universal dismay that the school’s regents and President Wallace Loh have decided to keep Durkin and athletic director Damon Evans in their posts following both the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair and two subsequent investigations into the entire program that found numerous other issues.
While we have seen college football and politics clash at times in recent years, it’s still fairly significant for the governor of a state to so publicly call out the athletic decisions being made by the leadership of Maryland’s flagship campus. It’s also another sign that this story isn’t going anywhere at all.
Also on Wednesday, the University of Maryland Student Government Association expressed their own outrage over the board’s decision and called on plans for a rally on campus that will take place on Thursday. Even the players themselves are getting involved to make their displeasure known, with some walking out of a team meeting this week and others taking to social media to voice their concerns.
Durkin, who is set to coach the Terps on Saturday at home against Michigan State, may not be totally safe in his position after all even following the very public press conference that led to his reinstatement this week.