Former Maryland head coach DJ Durkin has resurfaced as a “guest coach” during the Atlanta Falcons training camp.
Durkin is a guest of head coach Dan Quinn. The two were part of the Florida Gators defensive coaching staff from 2011 to 2012.
Durkin was fired in 2018 following a series of events after the death of Jordan McNair, an offensive lineman who passed away after suffering a heatstroke during a May 2018 workout.
DJ Durkin was initially placed on administrative leave after reports surfaced of a toxic culture under his watch at Maryland. He was later reinstated, but members of the Terrapins team staged a walkout in protest and Durkin was subsequently was fired a day after.
Quinn backed the addition of Durkin to the Falcons coaching staff by saying it was “in the best interest of the team.”
“The fact that I know this coach firsthand, I know what his character is, and then the due diligence that goes with that,” Quinn said according to ESPN’s Vaughn McClure. “I would certainly hope that anyone covering the team or the fan base knows that I always have the team’s best interest in mind and would never put anybody in a space that would be otherwise.”
“I’ve coached with him. And I know what his character is. We did all of our due diligence of calling everybody at Maryland and had our own follow-up to there,” Quinn added.
