Testudo Times, a Maryland Terrapins community

According to our source, Head Coach Ralph Friedgen is going to let AD Deborah Yow know if he is going to fire Offensive Coordinator this afternoon. On November 30, we were the first to report that if Head Coach Ralph Friedgen wants to come back as Head Coach he must fire Offensive Coordinator James Franklin. If not, Friedgen will be dismissed, according to our source. The school will than have to pay over a $4 million buyout. All of the seven assistant coaches are out on the road recruiting.

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) acknowledged rumors Tuesday about his involvement in the future of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen but told reporters that neither he nor his staff have intervened.

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"I leave to the university to manage its sports and most everything else that goes with the university," O'Malley said following an unrelated event in Annapolis. "I haven't gotten into this at all. I really haven't."

O'Malley said that he "would hope they would not use public funds to buy out the contract," but he declined to elaborate on what exactly would fall under the definition of "public funds."
definition

I've talked to a half-dozen boosters who have said they knew of no private efforts to raise money to buy out [Friedgen's] contract. Of course, they can't rule out that the university might come up with the funds on its own if Friedgen were let go.

The future of Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen is now in doubt, and a buyout of more than $4 million will not prevent the school from making a change, according to sources who have been briefed on the financial details of Friedgen's contract.

Friedgen's fate is expected to be determined in a postseason meeting with school officials, the sources said, and Friedgen may have to make multiple staff changes to save his job.