The Jerry Baldwin Saga: 1998-2020

[NewsCopy]

Ex-Coach Sues Louisiana-Lafayette
Associated Press

LAFAYETTE, La. - Former University of Louisiana-Lafayette football coach Jerry Baldwin filed a federal lawsuit against the school, claiming he was fired because of his race.

In a civil rights lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Baldwin cites alleged comments about his race and other actions by university officials that he says sabotaged his recruiting and coaching efforts.

Baldwin went 6-27 in three seasons and had his contracted terminated on Nov. 26, 2001.

Baldwin alleged that university President Ray Authement told him he was not a popular choice with the community. Baldwin also said two deans on the selection committee told him that athletic director Nelson Schexnayder did not want him as head coach because of his race.

In a written statement, the university called the lawsuit unfortunate, "especially given the fact that when UL Lafayette hired Baldwin, it was the only Division I-A university in the country to have two African-American coaches in both football and basketball."

The university said it is confident "the community, its fans and its supporters truly understand the reasons for which coach Baldwin was terminated, and that he was given every opportunity to succeed."

Baldwin alleges that Schexnayder ignored requests to clean up the athletic complex, which Baldwin contends hampered recruiting efforts.

The athletic director also pulled the plug on plans to have games televised, wouldn't fill a position that oversaw marketing football games, cut the football equipment budget and took $25,000 donated to the football program to use for other purposes in the athletic department, according to the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, Authement told Baldwin when he was fired that he supported Schexnayder's decision to terminate him because he "could no longer take the pressure" of having a black coach.

The rest of the story

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. - Jerry Baldwin, former head football coach for the University of Louisiana, has sued his former employer again, this time in Baton Rouge.

Named as defendants are the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Nelson Schexnayder, the university athletic director.

The lawsuit, filed in the 19th Judicial District, has been assigned to Judge Jewel E. "Duke" Welch.

In December, Baldwin sued the university in a federal lawsuit that alleges he was fired because of his race.

The university fired Baldwin in November 2001, after he posted a 6-27 record during three seasons.

University of Louisiana President Ray Authement declined to comment Monday.

The most recent lawsuit says Schexnayder's actions "were intended to and had the effect of devastating the morale of the UL football team and staff," and Baldwin suffered "severe emotional distress" inflicted by the defendants.

The rest of the story

By BRUCE SCHULTZ
bschultz@theadvocate.com
Acadiana bureau

[Rebel02]

I have lost all respect for this former coach. This man must be desparate for money. Its truly a shame what has become of him.

[NewsCopy]

Appellate Court Reinstates Former Coach's Lawsuit Against U. of Louisiana The Court of Appeal of Louisiana has reinstated a racial-discrimination lawsuit filed by a former football coach, Jerry Lee Baldwin, against the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Mr. Baldwin, who was fired in 2001 after running up a 6-27 record over three years, was replaced by a white male coach and subsequently sued the university system, the Lafayette campus, and its athletics director, alleging discrimination. A trial-court judge granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss the case in 2005, but the state appeals court reversed that decision, saying such a summary judgment was “rarely appropriate” for deciding a case based on facts that were open to different interpretations. The ruling sends the case back to the trial court for further proceedings. —Charles Huckabee The source of the story The court decision

[rhineaux]

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At what point does some judge throw this guy on his ass and tells him to quit blaming someone else for his inadequecies? At the point when people realize that we have hired two black coaches since he was fired, proving that it had nothing to do with his race, or when they realize he won 6 games in 3 years. The way i see it, his job was to win games. he didn't do it, and therefore "violated" his contract. What an ass.

[Clutch0364]

_ At what point does some judge throw this guy on his ass and tells him to quit blaming someone else for his inadequecies? At the point when people realize that we have hired two black coaches since he was fired, proving that it had nothing to do with his race, or when they realize he won 6 games in 3 years. The way i see it, his job was to win games. he didn't do it, and therefore "violated" his contract. What an ass. _

Yup he got fired cause he was black not because he only won 6 games lol what a joke

[CajunNation]

You people need to remember stories such as this the next time you go vote.

One political party appoints judges who like cases like this.

One political party appoints judges who throw cases like this out of court.


I'll let y'all decide which is which.

[BigJohn]

_ "Baldwin also claims...cut the football equipment budget and took $25,000 donated to the football program to use for other purposes in the athletic department."

How much money did the program lose because Baldwin didn't care about putting fans in the stands? _

How many fans were at the last game when a bowl invite was possible?

[CajunGuru]

_ How many fans were at the last game when a bowl invite was possible? _

More then he averaged the whole time under his tenure!

[BigJohn]

_ More then he averaged the whole time under his tenure! _

The answer is 10,000 scanned.

How much money has the program lost because Bustle can't put fans in the stands 5 yrs after the firing of Balwin because he couldn't put fans in the stands?

The problem might not be with Balwin or Bustle. The problem might be with the people living in and around Lafayette and Cajun Alums. Maybe they don't care.