Report: Maryland players had booster removed from charter flight after Jordan McNair comments
The Maryland booster who said Jordan McNair “didn’t do what Jordan was supposed to do” was reportedly removed from the list of passengers on Maryland’s charter flight to Michigan after players discovered he was set to go to the game.
Rick Jaklitsch had been critical of the reports surrounding Maryland’s culture and the leave of absence of coach D.J. Durkin in the wake of McNair’s death. McNair died after suffering heat stroke after a conditioning drill in May. An investigation found that Maryland didn’t follow proper protocol between the workout and getting McNair to the hospital.
The workout was May 29. McNair died June 13.
Jaklitsch’s name was on the list of additional people to go with the team Friday to Saturday’s game against Michigan. According to ESPN, he didn’t make the trip.
Rick Jaklitsch, an attorney from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, had been set to travel with the Terrapins football team to Michigan on Friday. But when players saw his name on the passenger manifest, they became outraged, sources said, and told athletics staffers, including Cheryl Harrison, Maryland’s senior associate athletic director and chief development officer. Jaklitsch was informed he wouldn’t be traveling with other boosters and the team.
Comments by Jaklitsch against McNair and his supposed hydration levels before the workout were published by the Diamondback a week ago. To call them insensitive would be too kind.
“As much as we hate to say this, Jordan didn’t do what Jordan was supposed to do,” Jaklitsch said. “A trainer like Wes Robinson thinks a kid’s properly hydrated and runs a drill set up for kids that are properly hydrated, and when the kid didn’t drink the gallon he knew he had to drink, that’s going to send the wrong signal to the person running the drill.”
Given those comments, it’s mindboggling that Maryland would even consider letting Jaklitsch travel with the team. The decision for him to not be on the team plane should not have been made by Maryland’s players. It should have been made by the administration as soon as Jaklitsch’s quotes were published. Consider this the latest example of how many of the adults at Maryland haven’t done the right thing.
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
More from Yahoo Sports:
• Texas shakes up CFP picture with upset of No. 7 Oklahoma
• Marcus Smart ejected from Cavs-Celtics scuffle with J.R. Smith
• Seattle’s Thomas gets fined from NFL for flipping off sideline
• Portugal Prime Minister defends Ronaldo after rape allegations
