Maryland’s Edsall Reverses Course on Quarterback’s Transfer

Terrapins Coach Randy Edsall said that O’Brien could not transfer to another Atlantic Coast Conference school, to a university that is scheduled to face Maryland, or to Vanderbilt, which is coached by the former Maryland offensive coordinator, James Franklin.

Edsall’s decision came under fire, however, and on Wednesday he reversed it and granted a full release to O’Brien, offensive lineman Max Garcia and linebacker Mario Rowson.

“While at first I thought it was important to limit the institutions to which they could transfer, I have since reconsidered my decision,” Edsall said in a statement.

Maryland has filed a complaint against Vanderbilt alleging that improper contact was made before the players were released from their scholarships. The Vanderbilt vice chancellor, David Williams, said the university would investigate the matter.

O’Brien’s situation is unusual because he is scheduled to earn his undergraduate degree this spring. He has two years of eligibility remaining, and if he enters a graduate program that is not offered at Maryland, he could be eligible to play next season.

The situation has raised questions about the roles a coach and a university play in determining a player’s future.

“I think this is one of the more alarming cases where they were actually limiting a student’s academic choices,” said Dr. Jason Lanter, an assistant professor of psychology at Kutztown University and president of the Drake Group, an N.C.A.A. watchdog.

Dr. B. David Ridpath, an assistant professor of sports administration at Ohio University, said that if an athlete has received his undergraduate degree, he has fulfilled his obligation to the university.

“I think it’s about control, and it’s about coaches trying to maintain a situation where they can win,” Ridpath said.

Chris Radford, the N.C.A.A’s associate director of public and media relations, said that the rules on the graduate transfer exception could be revisited.

“These are rules that probably make sense when they’re written, but there are situations like this one where the outcome doesn’t seem fair,” said Michael McCann, director of the Sports Law Institute at Vermont Law School. “I think this is a situation where rules that are hard and fast maybe could be better defined to allow for some types of flexibility.”

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