As Maryland waits for further information to develop in the investigation into the handling of offensive lineman Jordan McNair's death in June, another scandal has hit the program.
The Washington Post reports that the school used university funds to defend football players in a case involving sexual misconduct. The university confirmed the actions in a statement on Thursday. The incident occurred under former athletic director Kevin Anderson in 2017. The school hired a law firm to defend the two players, but Maryland officials said they didn't know about school funds being used for defense until the invoice was received by the president's office.
A Maryland spokesman told the Post that the hiring of the law firm by the University showed "a serious lack of judgment in a sexual misconduct case, given the university's commitment to a fair and impartial handling of all such matters."
The report states that Anderson wasn't always forthcoming with the investigation. He ultimately resigned in April after going on sabbatical last fall. He responded to the report in a statement to the Post saying that it is "inaccurate."
The Post also reports that Terrapins coach DJ Durkin was the first person to reach out to the Alabama-based law firm hired by Maryland. Durkin is currently on administrative leave pending further findings in the investigation into the reported "toxic culture" of the football program that led to the strength and conditioning staff's mishandling of McNair suffering from heatstroke on May 29. McNair died two weeks later.
Maryland opens the 2018 season at home vs. Texas on Sept. 1.
