I don’t know if you heard the news, but Maryland finally settled with the McNair family over the death of their son.
By “finally”, I mean two and a half years later. Or almost that long since the school’s president acknowledged fault.
And while I understand the ass covering and due diligence that accompanies such a high-profile settlement takes time, I can’t help but shake my head over the comparative dollar signs involved. McNair’s family received $3.5 million. His head coach?
Durkin’s contract with the university runs through the end of 2021. Maryland owed Durkin 65 percent of his remaining contract, with half of the buyout paid within 60 days of his firing. According to the Baltimore Sun’s public salary database, the university paid Durkin $4,793,000 in 2018, which also includes earnings that year before his firing, and $860,000 in 2019. After a brief hiatus from on-field coaching, Durkin is the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Mississippi.
Thank goodness lives weren’t ruined because of this tragedy. At least lives other than McNair’s.