Maryland invited an FBI agent to speak to players about making sure they steer clear of bookmakers and others who could do the program harm, head coach Randy Edsall said today.
The agent addressed the team on Thursday.
"It's just about being proactive," Edsall said.
He said the message was "how they have to be careful of who they're associating with."
The informal talk follows the disclosure by Yahoo! Sports earlier this week that a former Miami booster provided impermissible benefits to at least 72 athletes from 2002 through 2010. The booster, Nevin Shapiro, is in prison for his role in a Ponzi scheme.
Coaches use a variety of measures to try to keep players out of trouble. Edsall's predecessor, Ralph Friedgen, was known to dispatch assistants to monitor local bars. His coaches also conducted periodic evening dormitory checks
Edsall said the timing of the FBI agent's talk wasn't related to the Miami situation.
"That was something I had planned … so they understand the position they're in," the coach said.
Miami is Maryland's opening opponent at Byrd Stadium on Sept. 5.
It's uncertain whether prominent Hurricanes players may be suspended because of interaction with Shapiro.
But Edsall said the Miami situation hasn't complicated his team's preparation. "That's not even a concern of mine," he said after a practice in which he loudly criticized his players for not hustling during a long field-goal drill.
"We've just got to worry about Maryland," he said.
