Maryland officials have approved a $3.5 million settlement with the family of Jordan McNair, the University of Maryland student who died after a football team workout in 2018.
“Hopefully this will bring some relief to Jordan’s parents while while they focus on honoring their son’s legacy,” said Gov. Larry Hogan, ahead of the vote to approve the settlement.
As part of the agreement, UMD will partner with the Jordan McNair Foundation, which was created by McNair’s parents, Martin McNair and Tonya Wilson.
“No parent should ever have to experience the unspeakable agony that Tonya Wilson and Martin McNair have been through,” Hogan said.
The 19-year-old freshman player died from heatstroke after staff failed to treat his heatstroke symptoms or seek help. More than an hour passed between when McNair first started showing symptoms to when a trainer called 911. Two external investigations following McNair’s death found numerous lapses at the university, including a football program “where problems festered because too many players feared speaking out.” UMD fired football coach D.J. Durkin in October 2018 after the university board of regents initially decided to retain him.
Martin McNair released a statement through the university: “Today’s unprecedented settlement and partnership with the University of Maryland further emphasize that our son’s tragic death will not be in vain,” McNair said. He said the partnership would focus on “protecting student-athletes at all levels of competition, increasing awareness, education, and prevention of all heat-related illnesses and empowering student-athletes.”
The settlement was approved by the Maryland Board of Public Works, which must sign off on state expenditures. It will be paid for by UMD from unrestricted university funds.
“No amount of money is ever going to bring back Jordan to his family,” said Comptroller Peter Franchot, who serves on the board, along with State Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Governor Hogan.
“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,” said Franchot.
Since McNair’s death, UMD has implemented 41 reforms to protect student athletes, according to university President Darryll Pines. There was also statewide legislation: the Jordan McNair Act, which did not pass, would have made it easier for students to report concerns about athletics programs. Hogan did sign into law a bill aimed at making UMD’s board of regents more transparent.
