University of Maryland president Wallace Loh, left, speaks at a news conference in front of James Brady, chairman of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, following the board's recommendation that football head coach DJ Durkin retain his job, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, in Baltimore. Durkin has been on paid administrative leave since August, following the death of a player who collapsed during practice and an investigation of bullying by the Maryland coaching staff. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
University of Maryland president Wallace Loh, left, speaks at a news conference in front of James Brady, chairman of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, following the board's recommendation that football head coach DJ Durkin retain his job, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2018, in Baltimore. Durkin has been on paid administrative leave since August, following the death of a player who collapsed during practice and an investigation of bullying by the Maryland coaching staff. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Credit: Patrick Semansky

Baltimore — The chairman of the University System of Maryland board of regents has resigned following the furor over the decision to reinstate football coach DJ Durkin.

The board’s decision to reinstate Durkin on Tuesday drew harsh criticism from students, players and state politicians. As a result, University President Wallace Loh fired Durkin on Wednesday.

On Thursday, board chairman James Brady stepped down from his post.

“In my estimation, my continued presence on the board will inhibit its ability to move Maryland’s higher education agenda forward,” Brady said in a statement. “And I have no interest in serving as a distraction from that important work.”

After reviewing external reports on the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair and the culture of the program, the board decided to reinstate Durkin and retain athletic director Damon Evans.

McNair collapsed on the practice field and died two weeks later of heatstroke. Durkin was put on administrative leave in August and, following the board’s recommendation, returned for one day.

NFL Football

Niners 34, Raiders 3

Santa Clara, Calif. — Nick Mullens threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns for the most productive NFL debut since the merger, leading San Francisco over Oakland.

George Kittle made an impressive one-handed catch on a 71-yard play that set up his touchdown from Mullens and Pierre Garcon caught his first TD pass in two seasons with the 49ers (2-7), who snapped a six-game losing streak and won for just the second time in two years without Jimmy Garpppolo at quarterback.

Mullens got the nod after C.J. Beathard injured his right wrist last week and made the most of his opportunity against a defense for the Raiders (1-7) that is one of the worst in the league.

Longtime NFL WriterPaul Zimmerman Dies

Noblesville, Ind. — Paul Zimmerman, the longtime Sports Illustrated NFL writer known as “Dr. Z” for his analytical approach, died on Thursday. He was 86.

NBC Sports football writer Peter King confirmed Zimmerman’s death. King worked with Zimmerman at Sports Illustrated, and completed Zimmerman’s autobiography, Dr. Z: The Lost Memoirs of an Irreverent Football Writer.

Zimmerman had three strokes in 2008 that ended his writing career after 29 years as Sports Illustrated’s lead pro football writer.

“When I started covering football in 1984, he was Peter Gammons and Bob Ryan and Tex Maule rolled into one,” King said. “His football knowledge was peerless. He knew the technical side and loved it, and he loved the personal side, too.”

Zimmerman briefly played college football at Stanford and Columbia, and covered the New York Jets for the New York Post for 13 years. He also worked for the Sacramento Bee, New York Journal-American and the New York World-Telegram & Sun before joining SI in 1979. His “A Thinking Man’s Guide to Pro Football” was published in 1970, and revised in 1984 as “The New Thinking Man’s Guide to Pro Football.”

Zimmerman was president of the Pro Football Writers of America during the 1982 season. He received the PFWA’s highest honor, the Dick McCann Award, in 1996 for a long and distinguished contribution through coverage. In 2014, the PFWA instituted the Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award, given for lifetime achievement as an assistant coach in the NFL.