The fact that the coaches didn't mean for a player to die doesn't for one second alleviate them from being somewhat responsible for his death if there was reasonable cause to suspect the player's health was in danger. As Beerman pointed out, part of a coach's duties is applying good judgment in the development and discipline of his players.

Was Durkin's staff responsible for the player's death? None of us know. In terms of a lawsuit, that's for a court to determine. But as far as Maryland deciding the fate of the staff, I think they'll have a hard time deciding to retain any of them if it appears the stories of player abuse are true.