A day after Northwestern State announced it canceled the rest of its football season and coach Brad Laird resigned, the family of slain football player Ronnie Caldwell Jr. said Friday it will pursue a lawsuit in the coming weeks.
“We’re not going to get into the details of what the lawsuit would entail, but we can say this, that the university, the coach, they failed Ronnie Jr.,” Tony Pradia, a lawyer representing the family, said during a news conference.
Earlier this month, mold was discovered in Caldwell’s off-campus apartment, which resulted in him being moved to a new unit within the same complex with a non-university student roommate, according to a statement from his family. On Oct. 9, that roommate, John McIntosh, pulled a gun on Caldwell Jr., who reported the incident to his father, the family said.
“Ronnie’s father immediately sent a text to Northwestern State Head Football Coach Brad Laird alerting him that he needed help and that Ronnie’s roommate had pulled a gun on him,” the family’s statement said. “Coach Laird replied with a phone call assuring the family that he would take immediate action and move Ronnie to a safe location. Nothing was done, the family heard no updates from the University.
“The next call the family received was from Coach Brad Laird telling us that Ronnie had been murdered.”
Caldwell, 21, was killed Oct. 12. McIntosh was arrested that day for possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance.
Natchitoches (Louisiana) police also arrested Caldwell’s Northwestern State teammate, Maurice Campbell II, in connection to his death for obstruction of justice, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in the presence of a controlled dangerous substance.
Specific details about Caldwell’s death have yet to emerge and no one has been charged.
Pradia said it took an ambulance over one hour to respond to a call and that players from the Northwestern State basketball team waited with Caldwell until it arrived. It is unclear where he was pronounced dead.
Caldwell, a transfer from Tyler Junior College, had been injured this season and was working as a volunteer coach for the defensive backs while he rehabbed.
“All I have to say is this could have been prevented,” Ronnie Caldwell Sr. said during the news conference. “I called the coach. I texted him and asked him, ‘Please move my son. Somebody pulled a gun. I need you to move him. Get him away from there. Get him in a hotel until I can get there. I’ll be there this weekend.'”
“Next thing I know, the next phone call I get from this man is at 2:07 a.m. and my son is deceased. Now, how do you feel being a man like me? I call myself being protector. I’ve been protecting my whole family all their life and I get this call and all I asked him to do is to move my son. What’s so hard?”
Laird, 50, was in his sixth season as head coach of the Demons. He spent six seasons as an NSU assistant before becoming the head coach in 2018.
“Due to the loss of Ronnie and the emotional burden it has caused me, I don’t feel I can give my all to these players or this program,” Laird said in a statement. “Any coach will tell you that their players become like family, so the loss of Ronnie was like losing a son. I love this program and this university and I know it will persevere and move forward with the competitive spirit that is at the core of our DNA.”
Pradia took issue with Laird’s characterization of his relationship with Caldwell.
“If he was like a son, he would’ve protected him,” Pradia said. “All his father wanted was his son to be moved to a safer location.”
The looming lawsuit will likely include the university, Laird and the apartment complex, Pradia said.
