Jordan McNair, a freshman football player set to begin his first season with the University of Maryland, died on June 13, two weeks after he collapsed following a workout on the team's practice field

Jordan McNair, a freshman football player set to begin his first season with the University of Maryland, died on June 13, two weeks after he collapsed following a workout on the team’s practice field. Now, the university has announced they are accepting “legal and moral responsibility” for errors made by its athletic staff preceding the 19-year-old’s death.

University President Wallace D. Loh announced on Tuesday that an ongoing external investigation found McNair did not receive proper medical care when he struggled to breathe and stand after a series of 110-yard sprints on May 29. The university accepted the resignation of strength coach Rick Court on Monday, and announced head trainer Wes Robinson and Steve Nordwall, an assistant athletic director for training, have both been placed on leave.

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“These were mistakes on the part of some of the athletic training staff,” Loh said in a statement regarding McNair’s death, posted to the university’s website. “The University accepts legal and moral responsibility for these mistakes.”

Loh said he, and athletic director Damon Evans, both personally apologized to McNair’s parents before speaking with the press.

“On behalf of the University, I apologized to them,” Loh said. “They entrusted their son to us, and he did not return home.”

Image zoom Jordan McNair Jordan McNair/Facebook

In his written statement, Loh said the university’s trainers did not properly conduct an emergency action plan and misdiagnosed the seriousness of McNair’s symptoms. They also failed to assess his vital signs and did not properly treat the football player for “exertional heat illness.” A lawyer for McNair’s family told ESPN that the college athlete’s preliminary death certificate lists heat stroke as his cause of death.

“We know enough now to determine that mistakes were made by some of our athletic training personnel — Jordan did not receive appropriate medical care,” Evans said in a video message. “We will honor Jordan’s life and ensure we never experience a tragedy like this on our campus again.”

During Tuesday’s press conference, Evans said the investigation found the athletic staff did not take McNair’s temperature or give him cold immersion treatment, otherwise known as an ice bath, the recommended procedure for heat stroke.

The family’s lawyer — of the firm Murphy, Falcon & Murphy — told ESPN that McNair’s body temperature was 106-degrees when he arrived at Washington Adventist Hospital. The McNair family attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

A spokesperson for Maryland tells PEOPLE the university is not making any additional comments at this time.

Since McNair’s death in June, media reports have shed light on the allegedly “toxic” culture in place at the university’s football program while under head coach Durkin and strength coach Court.

An ESPN story on August 10 alleged that the tandem coaches created an environment of “fear and intimidation” in their program, and routinely embarrassed and verbally abused players. In one instance detailed in the report, a player was pressured to eat candy bars while watching other players exercise, though coaches wanted him to shed weight. In another account, a player was forced to overeat to the point of vomiting. Players also had small weights thrown at them when Court was enraged, they claimed.

Durkin was placed on administrative leave on August 11, a day after ESPN’s story was published. The coaching environment he created is now the focus of a second investigation requested by the school from an outside firm, according to SB Nation. Loh addressed the school’s response to the reports in his statement.

“I take very seriously the allegations reported in the media about the culture of our football program, citing instances of alleged intimidation and humiliation as ways to ‘toughen up’ players,” he said. “I am also mindful of other published reports in which some Maryland football players disagree with this portrayal of the program.”

Image zoom Jordan McNair Haddock Taylor/Baltimore Sun/TNS/Getty

Following McNair’s death, a GoFundMe page was set up to help the family and has so far raised more than $29,000. A flood of tributes were posted to social media from teammates as well, including a heartbreaking picture of flowers adorning McNair’s locker at the school.

Kasim Hill, the team’s quarterback, posted an emotional message on Twitter to his “brother.”