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Lawyer gets benched by UM football team
//October 8, 2018
Rick Jaklitsch, one of the biggest boosters of University of Maryland football, was scheduled to travel with the team to its game Saturday at the University of Michigan.
But Jaklitsch, an Upper Marlboro personal injury lawyer, was removed from the travel group after some Terps players saw his name on the passenger list for Ann Arbor, according to ESPN.
The players were angry at Jaklitsch for comments he made to The Diamondback regarding the death of Jordan McNair:
“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.”
“Jaklitsch’s comments upset many in the program, sources said,” according to ESPN, “and earlier this week players informed football administrative staffers that they didn’t want Jaklitsch around any team activities.”
Jaklistch, in an interview Sunday night with The Washington Post, said he wasn’t trying to cause any additional pain for the players and remains a Terrapin supporter.
Jaklitsch added he was OK with missing the game (which the Terps lost, 42-21) and hopes to travel with the team for future games:
q“I’ve been on trips for 20 years. I’ll be on trips for another 20 years, hopefully,” he said. “They could have used me. I’m still undefeated when I’m on the sidelines. But I refuse to be selfish. I’ll do whatever it takes to support Maryland. If I can support them by not being there, I’ll not be there. It’s all about the players, it’s all about the coaches, it’s all about my Terps.”
