An FCS college football team has canceled the remainder of its season and its head coach has resigned following the shooting death of a player, ESPN reports.
The Northwestern State football program announced the cancelation of the remainder of its 2023 season, as well as the acceptance of the resignation of head coach Brad Laird, on Thursday (October 26), five days after the death of junior safety Ronnie Caldwell. Caldwell, 21, died from injuries sustained when he was shot multiple times in an incident that remains under investigation.
"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 via ESPN. "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."
Caldwell, who transferred from Tyler Junior College, was working as a volunteer coach for the defensive backs while rehabbing from an injury that kept him out the entire 2023 season.
"He was our voice in the locker room," Laird said in a statement obtained by ESPN after Caldwell's death. "When Ronnie spoke, others listened. The respect our football team had for Ronnie was evident. He did not play a snap this year because of an injury, but his voice resonated with every member of our team from the first player to the 115th on our roster."
Laird, a record-setting quarterback at NSU, was in his sixth season as his alma mater's head coach, having previously worked as an assistant for the previous six seasons. The Demons were 0-6 (0-2 Southland) through their first six games of the 2023 season.
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