Ryan Moran, who has been on administrative leave since at least October, has been cleared to return to coach the UMBC men’s lacrosse team, according to his attorney.
The university’s decision to place Moran on leave was initiated by a bullying and “sexual misconduct” allegation made in September by one player against a teammate, lawyers representing the accuser told The Baltimore Sun last month.
“My family and I are all very excited that this process is over,” Moran said in a written statement distributed Thursday morning. “We have been patient and fully cooperative through it all. I have been a Division 1 lacrosse coach for 23 years, with 10 of those years being the Head Coach at UMBC. I take great pride in the reputation I have been able to create in that 23 year window and the successes and relationships that have come with it. I am looking forward to the opportunity to get back to this team and this program. To the players and families that I brought into this program and the countless alumni I have had the privilege to coach, I am grateful for your patience and support.”
Reached via text, Moran said he could not offer more. “Statement is all I can say,” he wrote.
The attorney for the accuser and a UMBC spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to Don M. Jackson of The Sports Group, a law firm representing Moran, a hearing held Feb. 11 came on the heels of a review that began in September and resulted in the school placing Moran on administrative leave. After the hearing, terms were established that would permit Moran to return. After an appeal of those terms, the decision to reinstate Moran was issued on Wednesday.
“Following an exhaustive investigation where he was denied access to members of the Men’s Lacrosse Program and staff, Coach Moran is grateful that the investigation, final hearing and appeal have concluded,” Jackson said in the same statement. “He is excited about the opportunity to return to his duties as Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and to continue his work with the young men [to whom] he has dedicated his life.”
Moran and assistant coach Nick Griffin had both been placed on leave. Griffin, a Marriottsville native and Liberty graduate who was a defenseman for the Retrievers and graduated in 2021 with a bachelor’s in chemical engineering, returned to the program in time for the season opener against Drexel on Feb. 13. But Moran remained sidelined.
Several parents who spoke to The Baltimore Sun have long maintained that they wanted Moran, only the third coach in school history, to return. They pointed out that Moran compiled a 56-53 overall record and a 31-21 mark in the America East in nine years.
Moran led the 2019 team to its first conference title in a decade and its first NCAA Tournament win since 2007, the 2021 squad to its first league regular-season championship since 2009, and was named the Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2025.
This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Edward Lee at eklee@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/EdwardLeeSun.
