Maryland outlines timeline for conclusion of football program investigation
As the football season flies by, Maryland's board of regents appears in no hurry to wrap up its investigation into the Terps' football culture under head coach D.J. Durkin.
The school announced today, Oct. 17, that its board of regents will be briefed for the first time on the results of the investigation, with no public comments after said briefing. Then, on Oct. 23, the board will meet again to discuss the investigation's results in another closed session.
The university will then share the investigation's findings and announce any possible changes therein within one week of that Oct. 23 meeting.
“We have said from the beginning that, if true, the allegations related to the culture of the football program at the University of Maryland, College Park are unacceptable,” USM Board of Regents Chair James T. Brady said in a statement. “We have also said we are determined to get all the facts possible before acting.”
While the final stage of that process begins on October 19th, members of the board will need appropriate time to study the findings, ask follow-up questions, come to conclusions, and consider any potential outcomes,” Brady continued. “As public servants, we have an obligation to take the time necessary to get this right. Once the board has had the time it needs to review the findings, the information will be shared with people of Maryland in a fully transparent fashion.”
Here's the full timeline (emphasis added):
At its next regularly scheduled meeting on Friday, October 19, 2018 at the University System of Maryland (USM) at Hagerstown, the USM Board of Regents will be briefed for the first time on the results of the independent investigation into the culture of the football program at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP).
The briefing will occur in closed session. No media availabilities or statements are expected during or following the Friday meeting.
The board will meet again in closed session at 9:00 am on Tuesday, October 23 at the Columbus Center in Baltimore to discuss the investigation results and begin the process of making any decisions necessary to safeguard the wellbeing of student-athletes at UMCP and at public universities across Maryland. No media availabilities or statements are expected during or after Tuesday’s special session.
Within one week following the October 23special session, the USM expects to publicly share findings from the independent commission investigation and to announce any initial decisions and/or recommendations from the board.
In the meantime, Maryland's football season rolls on.
The 4-2 Terps visit No. 19 Iowa on Saturday, host Illinois on Sept. 27 and host No. 24 Michigan State on Nov. 3.
A separate investigation released on Sept. 21 found Maryland culpable for the death of Terps offensive lineman Jordan McNair.
