Ex-Maryland HC DJ Durkin Attending Falcons Training Camp as Guest Coach

Former Maryland Terrapins football coach DJ Durkin is serving as a guest coach for the Atlanta Falcons during training camp this summer, according to Jason Butt of The Athletic and Vaughn McClure of ESPN. 

Durkin was fired by Maryland in October following the death of former Terrapins player Jordan McNair two weeks after he suffered from heatstroke at a team practice. Falcons head coach Dan Quinn publicly defended his decision to bring Durkin aboard for the summer, per McClure:

"I hope people would understand, and people know me well enough, that nothing is more important than team. The fact that I know this coach firsthand, I know what his character is, and then the due diligence that goes with that, I would certainly hope that anyone covering the team or the fan base knows that I always have the team's best interest in mind and would never put anybody in a space that would be otherwise.

"That said, it's not that unusual for me to have people come to be a part of our program and add value to it for a smaller period of time. I've done it before, and I'll do it again in the future."

Durkin, 41, was suspended by Maryland in Aug. 2018 while the university investigated McNair's death after he suffered heatstroke in May 2018 during a practice.

That investigation found that the program under Durkin "fostered a culture where problems festered because too many players feared speaking out" and included strength and conditioning coach Rick Court, who according to multiple players made a habit of "humiliating" them, "calling them names that challenged their manhood and involved slurs," according to Talia Richman of the Baltimore Sun. 

Court also reportedly "would throw food, weights, and once, a trash can full of vomit." He was also accused of choking a player with a pulldown weight machine.

Additionally, 94 players were polled during the investigation and the football culture "fared poorly" compared to other programs.

Nonetheless, Durkin was reinstated by Maryland in October. But amidst public outcry with that decision, he was fired one day later. 

"The overwhelming majority of stakeholders expressed serious concerns about Coach DJ Durkin returning to the campus," Maryland president Wallace Loh said in a letter announcing the decision, per Luke Broadwater, Jeff Barker and Richman of the Baltimore Sun.

But Quinn, who worked with Durkin during his time as the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators (2011-12), felt comfortable bringing him to training camp with the Falcons:

"I know DJ firsthand, about what he is as a coach. I've coached with him. And I know what his character is. We did all of our due diligence of calling everybody at Maryland and had our own follow-up to there. So what I would know is in the past, we've had Ron Wolf come to help me with another set of eyes. Last year, Darrell Bevell coming into the same role.

"I think it's a huge advantage that you can have somebody of respect and can look at some certain things to help your team in the evaluation."

Durkin brings a bit more baggage than either Wolf or Bevell, however, and despite Quinn's lack of misgivings, the move will be a controversial one.