WASHINGTON — University of Maryland Athletic Director Kevin Anderson announced Monday he is taking a leave of absence from his position.
Anderson is going on a six-month sabbatical effective immediately, he said in a letter the University of Maryland released. Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Athletics Damon Evans will assume Anderson’s duties while he’s out.
Anderson said the decision came after national response to a Washington Post article that highlighted his work with student-athletes.
“This experience has led me to consider where I want to focus my energies at this point in my career,” he said in the letter.
Anderson said he plans to use the professional development sabbatical “to engage in various projects focusing on leadership development, including work with a broad coalition of groups focused on issues of equity, student athlete activism and inclusion in college athletics and working with the NACDA / John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation.”
While Anderson is on sabbatical, Evans will assume all of the leadership functions of UMD Athletics and report directly to President Wallace D. Loh.
The news comes after reports surfaced over the weekend that Anderson was fired.
Anderson took over for Debbie Yow in September 2010 after a six-year run as athletic director at the U.S. Military Academy.
WTOP’s George Wallace contributed to this report.
