The University of Maryland will pay $3.5 million in a settlement connected to the death of Jordan McNair. Through this settlement, the university will also work alongside the Jordan McNair Foundation.
“Hopefully this will bring some relief to Jordan’s parents while they focus on honoring their son’s legacy,” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said.
“No parent should ever have to experience the unspeakable agony that Tonya Wilson and Martin McNair have been through."
McNair was a 19-year-old football player who died while on scholarship at the University of Maryland. While working out for the upcoming season, McNair began experiencing heatstroke symptoms. After exhibiting these symptoms for than an hour, a trainer called for medical assistance. Unfortunately, the call was placed too late to save the life of the young football star.
In the aftermath of McNair's death, the university fired head coach DJ Durkin. Also, two investigations found the football program fostered an environment “where problems festered because too many players feared speaking out.”
“No amount of money is ever going to bring back Jordan to his family,” Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot said.
“The fact of the matter is, the McNair family entrusted the University of Maryland with Jordan’s care and quite frankly, obviously a number of people failed it."
While some improvements have been made, the state has not implemented all suggested changes. Most notably, the state refused to pass the Jordan McNair Act. The measure was aimed at allowing players to report issues within the program more easily. Still, the McNair family is hopeful that Jordan's death will bring about a positive change within college football.
“Today’s unprecedented settlement and partnership with the University of Maryland further emphasize that our son’s tragic death will not be in vain,” Martin McNair said.
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