But it wouldn’t necessarily take tragic consequences to expose this kind of behavior if schools weren’t running their football programs like secret societies in the first place.
Maryland, you see, was like most college programs these days. Aside from a few minutes here or there, practices and workouts were closed to all eyeballs other than those who work for the athletic department. Assistant coaches and staffers were generally off-limits to the media, and access to the players was highly managed. If something inappropriate was happening inside the program, it would have been nearly impossible for anyone to observe it.
Over the last several years, coaches have been allowed that leeway to reject the media’s role as a watchdog because they feel — and perhaps rightly so — that it doesn’t benefit them to operate under that kind of scrutiny. And certainly an athletic director, who is technically the boss but might make 20% of the football coach’s salary, is in no position to argue. Nor is there any pressure from the public, which isn’t disposed to cheer on the media generally and has largely dismissed complaints from reporters about access.
But it’s become clear that the secrecy with which these overly powerful coaches are allowed to run their programs has become a burden on the sport, the potential safety of players, their own careers and the schools for whom they profess so much loyalty.
Do you think Rick Court, the Maryland strength coach who allegedly threw weights or objects at players as a motivational tactic, would do that if there were eyeballs on him? Do you think coaches generally would engage in the kind of verbal abuse alleged at Maryland if there were reporters around to ask questions? Do you think players would be as afraid to come forward if locker rooms were open and relationships with reporters were built?
That’s not to suggest more media access would have saved McNair.
It may not have saved McNair, but I’d be willing to bet pretty good money that, if the media had been present at that scrimmage, this time frame would have been shortened.
Fifty. Seven. Minutes.
Get The Picture 
Someone needs to go to jail for this.
On the topic of media access, these glorified PE teachers aren’t conducting the Manhattan Project. Especially at public universities, the media should be able to be there when they want since all of these facilities are public property.
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“at public universities, the media should be able to be there when they want since all of these facilities are public property”
C’mon man. The jock-sniffer sites would be camped out in the lockeroom, cafeteria, dorms and lecture halls 24/7
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What I mean are the practices. There is no reason why the media is escorted out of practice after a couple of periods of window dressing.
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I can understand the coaches closing practices during the season (game weeks) and the week leading up to the first game… but the compromise will probably be open practices during the summer and August camp as most of that is probably geared toward conditioning and technique… not game planning.
This is obviously a tragedy that should have never happened with proper leadership and oversight and I suspect the ncaa will issue new rules. I have no clue what should happen to the coaches that played hard ass and allowed this to happen. I do however no exactly what will happen to the university.
Fifty. Seven. Million.
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I agree, there should be transparency & a more open environment. If you’re constantly trying to hide everything you invite scrutiny when something goes wrong. Or in this case horribly wrong.
The world of strength & conditioning is possibly the toughest to monitor. When is the “push” too much & when is it just what’s needed to prepare the kids & toughen them to withstand the rigors of a physically demanding game? What one kid can endure/conquer may leave another in need of medical care. Player safety & well-being should be the top priority.
If not, you get this type scenario.
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Agree. Every activity should be overseen by a physician who reports to the AD and to a university Chief Compliance Officer or, for those universities with hospitals, the Chief Medical Officer. That person should have veto rights over the coaches or trainers when enough is enough for an individual athlete.
There’s no excuse for this.
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Allowing players wider transfer latitude will have a positive impact. How many UM players would have transferred and cast a light on what was going on if they’d had more leeway to do so?
So would an option where a player could simply remove himself from the team roster but the school still had to honor its financial obligation – food, room, board, tuition, stipend, etc – through his or her graduation.
How many stories of abuse is it going to take?
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Agree with #1 but other than volume of transfers, I’m not sure it would get the desired result in this case. More liberalized transfer rules probably would encourage the PE teachers to be more reasonable in their expectations especially given they are amateurs. 🙂
Disagree with #2 – if a player decides to quit the sport, the university should have no obligation to continue to subsidize the education of the S-A if physically able to participate.
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What if they are emotionally unable to participate? Because the coaching staff is full of assholes? Or because the coaches are putting pressure on him to transfer because they want to give his scholarship to someone they think would be better?
What’s the overall impact on the university that? One less fountain in the training facility atrium?
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Who is going to assess “emotional” fitness to participate? It becomes the sports version of the “insanity defense.”
I’m a huge fan of changing the transfer rules to allow S-As who made mistakes in the recruiting process to go somewhere else with no penalty. I don’t even think one of these PE teachers should be able to restrict them from going wherever they want.
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Do coaches get checked for drugs? Rick Court sounds as if he could use one.
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“Tim Beckman was fired as a the Illinois head football coach a week before the season started, when an investigation into the program initially found that Beckman made efforts to deter injury reporting and influence medical decisions that pressured players to avoid or postpone medical treatment and continue playing despite their injuries.
That all lined up with the accusations that kicked off the entire saga, when former Illinois offensive lineman Simon Cvijanovic tweeted in May that Beckman was an abusive bully who forced players to play hurt, demonized injured players and threatened to take players’ scholarships away.”
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Maybe I am just speaking from a bit of naivete here, but I tend to think we are in a better situation at Georgia than other schools. I think Courson and his team have earned the respect to be an ultimate say in injury and heat matters.
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The culture matters, too. Richt and Smart don’t seem like the types to foster an environment where this kind of thing would happen.
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Ron Courson is literally the one who wrote the Emergency Medical Protocols handbook for the National Athletic Trainers Association. Courson’s staff would have gotten him in a cold water bath and called the paramedics before he had the seizure.
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I have little doubt that he is the best in the business.
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Hard to fathom waiting that long. From reports he was clearly in distress.
I get the sense that even though Kirby is secretive, that there is a focus on player safety…….but i don’t know that for sure.
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FWIW, my third hand knowledge indicated player safety is a greater point of emphasis now than it was under Richt. Again, 3rd hand at best so TIFWIW.
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https://www.dawgnation.com/football/team-news/uga-utilizing-modern-technology-to-monitor-its-athletes – three years ago, and UGA was on the ‘cutting edge’
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Like everything else a few bad apples spoil the whole barrel. Why stigimize and stereotype every coach and program over the actions of a few? If the coaches want to close practices and locker rooms then so be it. The media’s not interested in being a watchdog for players and preventing abuse, just getting a scoop.
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Serious, non-snarky question: why?
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I get the tension. A coach would have outsiders all over the team all the time, second guessing every drill, performance, and personnel change. You’d give up the element of surprise. And you’d give up control, the holiest temple of college coaching. That’s not a preferred solution—though it is endlessly better than risking players’ lives.
Liability should incentivize colleges to monitor, and that might be the best solution. The NCAA could, too (though I hope not). But the power dynamic is all tilted in favor of the coach, and that dynamic leads to abuse in every context.
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I suspect there’s a happy medium somewhere in all of this. After all, as Wolken notes, NFL practices are open to the media and those coaches seem to be able to live with the consequences.
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My point exactly
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Serious question do you open it to all or only too vetted writers? Can you see next weeks opponent having their beat writer lurking around the practice field, locker room or training room.
Having qualified trainers present is likely the best solution and they should be given the last word.
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So you think teams tell their beat writers what to do?
Seth, you may want to weigh in again here…
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Where did I say that? Hell where did I even imply that. Do you find it difficult to imagine a writer wanting to give a coaching staff a serious heads up in order to gain personally.
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As far as your second point goes, it’s about as silly as your first.
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Poor choice of words on my part. My intent wasn’t to infer coaches doing that as much as a brown nosing writer offering up tidbits.
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Speak for yourself.
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A coach would only have to throw weights at me once. Because after I threw it back at them and stomped a new mudhole I would be kicked off the team.
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I like the cut of your jib, boro.
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There’s plenty of talk here about the “wussification” of the game. If you don’t think this kamikaze approach exists in many programs (especially one’s that are outgunned in terms of talent) you are dreaming. People loved the Bobby Knight way of doing things and that was just a contact, not a collision, sport.
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It shouldn’t take having the media at practices to stop this kind of behavior either. Talk about lack of institutional control.
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Thank you! I wouldn’t have posted my comment if I’d read yours first.
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Great minds think alike.
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One of these days people are going to wake up and realize it’s not the press that’s the enemy. That day is not today.
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Maybe the press could help by showing some integrity. That day is not going to be today.
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Nothing is perfect, and there are exceptions, but in large part “the media” is a hell of a lot more credible than the people waging war against it.
And I put media in quotation because I am limiting the term to professionally educated/trained journalists, not jock sniffer recruiting/fan sites when it comes to sports, nor party/personality cult cheerleaders when it comes to politics.
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I am not sure exactly who you think is waging war against the media. I see more of a traditional media vs new media. There are a lot of smart people in both and a lot of crackpots.
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*”I am not sure exactly who you think is waging war against the media..” *
Is this guy serious?
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A lot of people on all sides are waging war against traditional media outlets. I find the traditional media outlets just as inaccurate and opinioned as the new media.
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I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure by “new media” you mean the plethora of alt-right bullshit that you Trumptards read because it tells you what you want to hear. “Alternative facts.”
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Good grief
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Guy is a stone cold idiot, just ignore him. Won’t go away but he is harmless if you realize he hasn’t got much to work with. Just pity him, obviously something went wrong early on.
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That’s rich coming from you
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“trumptards”…when in doubt, throw out some insulting comment to try and get folks down to your level. Like wrestling with a pig. Nobody wins. Have a good day.
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Chili has TDS. And there is little to zero “media”…that word is a joke.
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Will Muschamp questions the sources for this fake news.
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Man, Damon. I don’t know how much responsibility he might carry for what’s going on in the football program, but he certainly stepped in it, didn’t he?
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The story isn’t so much the coach as it is with institution. The football staff was enabled. Look at the organizational chart of the UM athletic department. Why hasn’t the media questioned Damon Evans being hired? Isn’t it his job to oversee the football program? Didn’t he have access to the weight room and the players? The hell with the media, where was Damon Evans? Thank God the GSP patrols Buckhead.
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NCAA needs to mandate GPS/vitals monitoring. Right after I go buy stock in that company…
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They should face criminal charges
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There’s a flaw in your argument Brother Bluto. Having media present at practice isn’t equivalent to having employees who are trained to monitor the players for medical problems. As we can see with tOSU right now, there’s no shortage of ‘homer’ sport writers who are happy to slant articles in favor of the HC or school. They couldn’t care less about the victim.
Of course it doesn’t help McNair, but it appears the HC, staff, administration and/or university will eventually be punished for their actions (or lack of action if you prefer).
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How much “training” do you think a person needs to know something is wrong when a kid is having a seizure? I might not be a doctor but I’m pretty fucking sure I know when to call for an EMT.
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If you equate media with “homer” sport writers, I suppose you might have a point.
I wasn’t.
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Still don’t see how one assumes a “reporter” at an open practice is going to diagnose the problem, or make a difference in this situation. If someone could actually cite a previous example of a reporter coming to the aid of a distressed player, maybe the argument for an open practice would make sense
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Am i the only one that is stunned that if you have practices with 110 large physical men knocking the hell out of each other for three hours that having medical personnel on site would be a requirement? These P5 teams can’t afford having EMTs on site during practices but they have one on site to every single A HS football game I go to?
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Exactly. Should be required by the NCAA.
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So somebody determined there was a problem, and did nothing? For an hour? I see heads rolling, someone will be lucky if all it costs them is their job.
The kid deserved MUCH better than this.
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As resident of Maryland (and husband to a two-time Maryland grad…. even though she’s actually a rabid Tarheel fan…. long story), allow me to report a bit on how this tragedy/debacle is playing out among Alumni:
The University of Maryland (often referred to by Marylanders as “College Park”, in order to distinguish it from other lesser “University of Maryland” campuses) is an exceptional university. It is large and has a great many nationally ranked undergrad and grad programs. From business, to engineering, to medicine, it’s got it going on. It’s a point of pride for the entire state, and not just for alumni.
When it comes to sports, “Maryland fans” are more concerned with Badketball, Lacrosse and Soccer than with football. And many, many fans had (and still have) major gripes with UM leaving the ACC for the Big10 four years ago. Financial windfall notwithstanding, it was seen as a completely boneheaded move as it appeared the school was opting to “leave a basketball conference to join a football conference.”
Again, most Maryland alumni, and Marylanders in general, just don’t care too much about college football. Most alumni I know have a favorite NFL team they follow and love…. not an NCAA team.
So it is now especially galling to them that the reputation of their beloved institution is being “dragged through the mud by its stupid football program”. That’s a direct quote from a friend of mine who’s a UM grad.
All that to say, we who hail from the SEC are used to the football program holding immense sway at the SEC school we love. It’s just not that way in Maryland. And the big players at UM and in state government aren’t going to let the “stupid football program” muddy the reputation of its namesake university for very long.
I’ll be surprised if the athletic director and university president keep their jobs.
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Maryland isn’t in the ACC and Syracuse is…something’s not right.
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How many injuries/medical problems occur during practice vs. games? Any studies out there? Intuitively, I would think a greater proportion occur during practices, and thus medical personnel should be in attendance just like games.
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All you Liberals and your “transparency” now that’s some funny shit right there!
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I’m late to the party but ….
Take away the financial incentive and people will fix their own process. Right now they make enough money that they can suffer a lawsuit once in a while and they still make a handsome profit.
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The CDC’s NCHS reported from 1999 to 2015 6,453 deaths from EHS or about 380 per year.
The NCCSIR reports since 1995 61 football player deaths…46 HS, 11 college, 2 pros, and 2 organized youths.
Perhaps players should be better informed on the signs and conditions.
Many are informed about concussions, but probably not enough on this.
Perhaps the NCAA should review and mandate each years classes on this along with concussions.
And perhaps we should let the press into the LOS and tackles to observe and to prevent concussions.
So what protocols and procedures have in place.
Guess that is why the university is looking into.
Who knows, it could happen to any player on any campus.
What would be the mood in Athens if it happened there.
Let’s fire the whole damn coaching staff, faculty, and AD department.
Probably a former UGA QB would not have gone out in 2017 if the damn press and others were not scattered all up and down the sidelines during a game.
Time to reduce that crowd to coaching staff, players, and support.
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This would have all been prevented if only Dan Wolken had more access. Sorry if I’m not moved by Dan Wolken using a tragedy to further his agenda. No, Maryland needed smarter people inside their program. Not more Dan Wolken. I find it pretty disingenuous that he’s using the “watchdog” angle in sports journalism. A newspaper boy isnt going to save lives. More Ron Coursons and fewer redneck coaches are.
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BTW, Seth… i love your work. You can go to practice anytime. Not Dan though.
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