UMD Trainers Didn't Aggressively Treat McNair's Collapse: Report

COLLEGE PARK, MD — University of Maryland football trainers didn't follow procedure and aggressively treat Jordan McNair when he collapsed from heat stroke, reports say. An independent investigator said Friday that “there was a failure to identify symptoms and aggressively treat it,” WTOP reports. McNair, 19, was hospitalized on May 29 after collapsing during a team workout and died on June 13.

University President Wallace Loh said last month that he accepts the "legal and moral responsibility" of the death of the football player's death and apologized to the teen's family. Loh ordered an independent commission to review the practices and culture of the Maryland Terrapins football team after reports surfaced that the coaching staff, led by coach DJ Durkin, may have fostered a climate of bullying.

Loh previously said that a team of experts have determined McNair didn't receive proper treatment for heat stroke from team trainers before being taken to the hospital.

Recommendations made Friday to protect UMD athletes include more medical staff, longer recovery breaks, on-site cooling stations for the student-athletes, and closer monitoring of the health of players, WTOP says.

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A second report on the culture of the Terrapins’ football program could come by the end of the month

University System Chancellor Robert Caret said once both reports have been reviewed, “the board will then have the facts that it needs to really understand what has happened here.”

"As a father, there are no words to Jordan's parents that are good enough," Maryland Athletic Director Damon Evans said last month, according to a WTOP report. "I have looked into the eyes of a grieving mother and father and there is simply nothing good enough. We will honor Jordan's life, and we will ensure that a tragedy such as this never happens on our campus again."

A four-person commission is examining allegations of bullying in the football program. Durkin, who has been head coach for two years, has been placed on administrative leave.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan called the reports about Durkin "troubling" in a statement issued last month.

"In light of deeply troubling reports about the University of Maryland football program's training practices and general culture, I support the university's decision to suspend Coach DJ Durkin, and expect that the investigation into the program will be wide-ranging and thorough," the statement reads. "We must have complete confidence that our student athletes are treated with dignity and respect and that they are supervised and coached responsibly. If the investigation confirms these reports, then strong and permanent corrective actions should be taken immediately."

PHOTO: The Maryland Terrapins wear #79 sticker on their helmets in memory of former Terrapin player Jordan McNair who died earlier in the year during a workout. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)