Jordan McNair

Jordan Martin McNair (March 3, 1999 – June 13, 2018) was an American football player from Randallstown, Maryland, who played on the offensive line.

In the report, ESPN found evidence of a toxic culture instilled by the coaching staff led by head coach D.J. Durkin and strength and conditioning coach Rick Court, who Durkin had once called his "most important hire" in an interview shortly after accepting the position of head coach in December 2015.

During his high school career, when he played offensive tackle for McDonogh School in Owings Mills, McNair was named to the American Family Insurance All-USA Maryland Football Team (2016) and the Baltimore Sun All-Metro first team (2015, 2016).

McNair was also considering attending Ohio State, Penn State, or Rutgers, and had been extended offers from Alabama, Auburn, Boston College, and Duke, but chose to attend the University of Maryland.

Players interviewed in August 2016 after the first full offseason with Court agreed, and a comparison of Terrapin player weights between the Spring 2016 and Fall 2016 media guides showed notable differences.

In May 2018, following an offseason workout with the Maryland Terrapins football team, McNair was hospitalized with heat stroke; despite an emergency liver transplant, McNair died fifteen days later on June 13, 2018.

Following the ensuing investigation of the culture of the University of Maryland football program, head coach D. J. Durkin was fired on October 31.

McNair was the son of Marty McNair and Tonya Wilson.

He was touted as a four-star recruit, ranked in the top 25 nationally for offensive linemen, according to ESPN and Scout.

On May 29, 2018, McNair collapsed during a strenuous afternoon practice.

He was hospitalized that evening after visibly showing signs of extreme exhaustion with a body temperature of 106 °F recorded upon arrival.

He was airlifted later that night to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center to receive an emergency liver transplant, where he died on June 13.

Though no cause of death was initially listed for McNair, on July 16 his parents stated that he died from heat stroke.

This was corroborated by a report published by ESPN in August, with teammates and medical staff noticing that McNair suffered an apparent seizure at approximately 5 pm, one hour before a 911 call was placed.

University officials dispute the time of the seizure.

An investigation started immediately after his death showed that McNair first complained of cramps, an early sign of heat illness, at 4:59 pm but did not arrive at the hospital for treatment until 6:36 pm and that trainers failed to recognize the signs of heat illness, nor did they take aggressive measures to cool him.

A second investigation, this one covering the culture of the Maryland football program, was started after ESPN published an investigative article on August 10, 2018.

Initially, one coach and two trainers were suspended after the ESPN article, including Rick Court, the strength and conditioning coach named as the primary source of abuse.

Court resigned almost immediately after being suspended.

Head coach D.J. Durkin was suspended one day later; after the second investigation concluded that Maryland football did not have, by definition, a toxic culture, Durkin was reinstated on October 30, only to be fired the next day by University President Wallace Loh.

An independent report was commissioned from Walters Inc., a South Carolina-based sports medicine consulting firm, in June 2018 following the death of McNair, and the report was released on September 21.

During the investigation, the board of regents of the University System of Maryland assumed control from the campus.

The Walters report found that trainers failed to identify the symptoms of exertional heat illness, did not take sufficiently aggressive measures to treat McNair's elevated core temperature, and the University's catastrophic incident guideline was not followed.

When questioned for the development of the Walters report, the head trainer stated he was afraid McNair could have drowned if they had attempted immersing him in cold water to lower his body temperature.

Starting at 4:41 pm, McNair ran the first of ten timed 110 yd runs; athletes in his group were allotted nineteen seconds to complete each run, and McNair successfully completed seven repetitions.

By the eighth repetition, McNair was visibly laboring to complete the training and by 4:59 PM, trainers began to assist McNair, who had described symptoms of cramping.

A witness recalled a coach forcing McNair to finish the sequence of sprints despite struggling mightily, telling his teammates to "drag his ass across the field".

McNair was taken from the field at 5:22 pm for further treatment, including cooling with cold towels, until he exhibited a mental status change at 5:50 pm.

Trainers then called the team physician at 5:52 pm, and, at the physician's direction, followed up with an emergency call to 9-1-1 at 5:55 pm.

At approximately the same time, McNair experienced a seizure.

9-1-1 records indicate the first call was recorded at approximately 5:57 pm and the caller only stated that McNair was "hyperventilating" and "unable to control his breathing" without mentioning a seizure.

At 6:02 pm, the head trainer called campus security to report respiratory distress experienced during the seizure, to ensure that paramedics would be available.

The first ambulance arrived at 6:03 pm.

No one had been sent to meet the first ambulance and direct it to the Gossett Football Team House, where McNair was being treated.

In addition, in Prince George's County, first responder ambulances do not carry paramedics, so a second ambulance was dispatched with paramedics at approximately 6:07 pm.

The second ambulance arrived at 6:11 pm and after an intravenous line was secured, departed at 6:27 pm; McNair was transported to Washington Adventist Hospital, arriving at 6:36 pm.

At the hospital, McNair's body temperature cooled to 102 °F after twelve minutes of immersion in ice and water, but medical experts commenting after his death believed that cooling occurred too late.

Doctors at Washington Adventist noted "patient improving" by 8:32 PM before he was airlifted to R Adams Cowley.

After McNair's death, ESPN questioned current and former players for Maryland football as well as people close to the program, going on to publish an investigative report on August 10, 2018.

Players reported the intensity of voluntary workouts in June and July 2018 decreased after McNair's death was announced, but resumed normal intensity in August.