The purging of staffers within Maryland's football program continues. According to the Washington Post, two "high ranking" athletic trainers have been fired as the program moves forward from the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair and the so-called "toxic" culture that resulted in the firing of coach D.J. Durkin.
The Post reports that head trainer Wes Robinson and assistant athletic director of athletic training Steve Nordwall have been terminated from their positions. A university spokesperson told the paper only that "The trainers that were previously on administrative leave are no longer employed at the university."
Both trainers have been on paid administrative leave since Aug. 10 and drew a large amount of criticism for McNair's death on May 29 during an offseason team workout. In a public apology for McNair's death in August, university president Wallace D. Loh said that the training staff "basically misdiagnosed the situation" and that the university took "legal and moral responsibility for mistakes the training staff made." McNair died from symptoms of heatstroke 15 days after the incident.
Robinson, the football team's longtime trainer, was on the field during that fateful workout as McNair attempted to complete his sprints. One teammate told investigators that Robinson yelled, "Get him the 'f---' up" while another player said that Robinson yelled, "Drag his ass off the field."
Durkin was fired at the end of last month one day after he was reinstated by the university. Head strength and conditioning coach Rick Court parted ways with the program in August.
