Mistrial In Discrimination Claim Against UL-Lafayette

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Baton Rouge judge has declared a mistrial after a jury deliberated for more than seven hours but couldn't decide whether the first black head football coach at the University of Louisiana  at Lafayette was fired because of the color of his skin.

The jury of six women and six men — nine of whom are white and three black — told District Judge Todd Hernandez shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday that they were deadlocked and could not reach a verdict on Jerry Baldwin's racial discrimination claim.

The Advocate reports Baldwin's attorney, former Louisiana-Lafayette football player Karl Bernard, said afterward that he will pursue another trial.

Baldwin is now a pastor at New Living Word Ministries in Ruston and principal of New Living Word school, where he also coaches.