Since the passing of Phil Robertson, an outpouring of love — and stories — has surfaced that shows just how truly fascinating the entrepreneur's life was.
For instance, the patriarch of the "Duck Dynasty" family was a college football star with the potential for a pro career. That's right. According to CBS Sports, Robertson started at quarterback for two years at Louisiana Tech University in 1966 and 1967.
'He quit because he knew his passion was duck hunting, and he knew my passion was football.'
But perhaps even more interesting is that Robertson in college actually started over Terry Bradshaw, who would go on to become a legendary, four-time Super Bowl-winning signal caller for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In fact, Bradshaw told a Fox Sports panel years ago that if it were not for Robertson quitting football with a year of NCAA eligibility left, he never would have gotten the starting role at Louisiana Tech.
"If he hadn't — I hate to say quit, but that's what he did. He quit because he knew his passion was duck hunting, and he knew my passion was football. And he left, and that's how I got the starting job," Bradshaw said. "I did not beat him out."
Bradshaw has told stories over the years about how Robertson would emerge from the woods before practice wearing "Levi jeans and a T-shirt."
"On [those clothes] was either duck feathers, guts from a squirrel, [or] blood from some varmints somewhere," Bradshaw recalled.
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Bradshaw and Robertson reunited for an interview in 2013, nearly 50 years after playing together. During the sit-down, Robertson remarked that it was the first time he had seen Bradshaw since he quit football.
"This is my first return trip to Louisiana Tech," Robertson said. "Literally, since I saw you in the locker room saying, 'Go be an NFL star; I'm going out to the ducks.'"
The captivating discussion had Bradshaw asking the outdoorsman why he decided to leave a sport he was so good at. Despite Robertson totaling 12 touchdowns and 34 interceptions in college, he also threw for 2,237 yards and had the potential to go pro, according to CBS Sports.
"Why did you leave? Why did you not come back?" Bradshaw asked.
"You had something that I did not have," Robertson explained. "You had the desire to excel in the game of football. And I really had the passion for the old mallard ducks."
After again recalling Robertson being covered in duck feathers and squirrel guts, Bradshaw laughed at how the future "Duck Dynasty" star's departure benefited both men.
Robertson then concluded, "[This] proves the point, Bradshaw. A man will do a lot for a duck. Ducks are doing great."
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During the Fox Sports panel discussion, former NFL head coach Jimmy Johnson — also a Super Bowl winner at the helm of the Dallas Cowboys — recalled that he had the benefit of coaching at Louisiana Tech when both quarterbacks were there. Johnson noted how talented and impressive both players were, joining Bradshaw in his admiration for Robertson.
Bradshaw added regarding Robertson: "He's such a sweet guy, such a really sweet guy. We had so much fun laughing and talking about old times."
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A fourth New Orleans jail escapee has been captured, but six inmates are still on the loose since 10 of them broke out of the Orleans Parish Jail on Friday.
Meanwhile, Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams told CNN that "I am personally afraid, not just for myself, but for my lawyers who tried the case against" still at-large escapee Derrick Groves, who was convicted of murdering two men in 2018.
What's more, Williams told CNN that he found out about the jailbreak not from an official alert — but from the media.
Williams prosecuted Groves, the news network said.
“These lawyers got out of town this weekend with their families out of fear of retribution and retaliation,” Williams added to CNN.
Late Monday night, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office announced that Louisiana State Police and New Orleans Police captured the fourth escapee, Gary Price, in the city. Also previously captured were Dkenan Dennis, Kendell Myles, and Robert Moody.
Still on the run are Groves, Corey Boyd, Jermaine Donald, Antoine Massey, Leo Tate, and Lenton VanBuren. They're reportedly considered "armed and dangerous," and CNN said they face charges such as aggravated assault with a firearm, false imprisonment with a weapon, and murder.
As Blaze News previously reported, the inmates were discovered missing during a routine 8:30 a.m. Friday head count after having escaped sometime just after midnight — which gave them about an eight-hour head start. CBS News said they likely had help from the inside.
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Sheriff Susan Hutson said the inmates pulled a sliding jail cell door off its track around 12:23 a.m. and left the jail by 1:01 a.m. after breaching a wall behind a toilet, CBS News said, adding that the toilet and bolts were removed using toiletry items, although Hutson didn't specify what the items were.
Williams told CNN a number of “breakdowns” contributed to the escape. For example, shortly after midnight Friday, a corrections monitoring technician went to get food — and during that time, several inmates started yanking on a cell door.
Williams added to CNN that a staff member should have been monitoring cameras in the facility in real-time: “The idea that they are saying they had to go back and look at footage is ridiculous."
More from CNN:
Eventually, the door broke open. The men snuck into another cell. In a matter of minutes, 10 inmates maneuvered past a metal toilet, squeezed through a small hole carved in the wall, and fled into the darkness.
The inmates brought blankets to protect themselves from getting cut by barbed wire. They then scaled a fence and bolted across Interstate 10. They darted into a nearby neighborhood, ripped off their inmate clothes, and disappeared into the night.
As Blaze News previously reported, inmates also scrawled obscene messages for the guards on the wall behind the toilet, CBS News said, adding that one was misspelled; it reads, "To easy, LOL."
The hole itself is one sign of the continued lapses at the facility, according to Williams. “Someone should have caught the destruction of the toilet and destruction of the wall and getting out, because that doesn’t happen in a day, does it?” Williams added to the news network. “So it was missed during the entire time that that plan was being hatched.”
Williams added to CNN, “This is not just about one lunch break."
The district attorney also told the news network that several hours went by before authorities notified victims and witnesses and the public of the escape: “If it happened at 1 a.m., they should have been notified at 1:30, right, because they were in harm’s way."
RELATED: Reported illegal immigrant charged with murder of beloved New Orleans French Quarter tour guide
The sheriff said she learned about the escape around 9 a.m. Friday — eight hours after the estimated time of the escape — and the U.S. Marshals Task Force was alerted by 9:30 a.m.
What's more, Williams told CNN that he found out about the jailbreak not from an official alert — but from the media.
Because the escapees may have crossed state lines, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill asked her counterparts in Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Tennessee to keep an eye out, the news network also said.
Sheriff Hutson has received the lion's share of criticism, CNN reported.
Democrat Louisiana state Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman said Hutson should resign and called the escape an “an alarming failure of leadership" on her part.
Republican state Rep. Mike Bayham in a statement to Blaze News also blasted Hutson, saying she "has no business seeking re-election this November. New Orleans could do better randomly picking a name out of the phone book than Sheriff Hutson."
However, the sheriff told CNN that she had “no plans to resign” and remains "committed to leading this office through the current crisis and continuing the long-term work of reform and public service I was elected to carry out.”
Hutson added that "we have indication that these detainees received assistance in their escape from individuals inside of our department."
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After a prison escape late last week in New Orleans that one fed-up lawmaker said resembled scenes from "The Shawshank Redemption," authorities said seven of the 10 escapees were still on the loose over the weekend — and one of at-large escapees is a convicted murderer.
The inmates were discovered missing during a routine 8:30 a.m. Friday head count at the Orleans Parish Jail, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office told CBS News, adding that they were believed to have escaped sometime just after midnight. They all were considered "armed and dangerous" — and likely had help from the inside, the news network added.
'This is something out of the "Shawshank Redemption'' film, though the escapees are no Andy Dufresne or Red Redding but are dangerous men who pose a serious risk to the safety of citizens in the New Orleans area.'
Derrick Groves is one of the still-escaped inmates, the sheriff's office said. He was convicted of murder in a 2018 Mardi Gras shooting, CBS News noted.
RELATED: Trump orders restoration of Alcatraz prison to lock up 'dregs of society'
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick asked the public to notify police if they were victims or witnesses at the escapees' trials so they could get help, CBS News said.
Sheriff Susan Hutson said the inmates pulled a sliding jail cell door off its track around 12:23 a.m. and left the jail by 1:01 a.m. after breaching a wall behind a toilet, the news network said, adding that the toilet and bolts were removed using toiletry items, although Hutson didn't specify what the items were.
As with "The Shawshank Redemption," the escapees had a lengthy head start — in this case, about eight hours.
The inmates also scrawled obscene messages for the guards on the wall behind the toilet, CBS News said, adding that one was misspelled; it reads "to easy, LOL."
The inmates then descended a wall and ran across an interstate highway, CBS News reported.
The sheriff's office on Friday night released security video of the escape, starting with the door being yanked of its tracks and ending with inmates seen in the distance sprinting across a freeway.
RELATED: Reported illegal immigrant charged with murder of beloved New Orleans French Quarter tour guide
In addition to Groves, the other inmates still on the loose were Corey Boyd, Jermaine Donald, Lenton VanBuren, Antoine Massey, Leo Tate, and Gary Price.
Authorities captured Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, and DKenan Dennis.
Louisiana State Police on Saturday said the three captured inmates were taken to a "secure state facility" and "the search remains active with multiple agencies working nonstop" to find the remaining seven escapees.
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Republican state Rep. Mike Bayham in a statement to Blaze News blasted Sheriff Hutson and the New Orleans criminal justice system:
This is something out of the "Shawshank Redemption" film, though the escapees are no Andy Dufresne or Red Redding but are dangerous men who pose a serious risk to the safety of citizens in the New Orleans area. The voters of Orleans Parish recently sent a message of no confidence in incumbent Susan Hutson at the ballot box when a 10-year millage renewal for sheriff was only passed by two votes out of over 25,000 ballots cast. Dysfunction in the New Orleans criminal system inevitably spills over to neighboring communities when dangerous violent criminals are able to escape confinement. Representative Jason Hughes and Council President Helena Moreno have rightly asked for a security audit at the jail. Sheriff Hutson has no business seeking re-election this November. New Orleans could do better randomly picking a name out of the phone book than Sheriff Hutson.
In regard to the delay in discovering the jailbreak, Hutson told CBS News that "you gotta go inside the facility to be able to see; they could have been anywhere. Then we had to first prioritize talking to victims to make sure they were safe."
Hutson added to the news network that it's believed the escapees received help from jail staff or deputies.
Kirkpatrick added to CBS News that authorities notified some of the victims of the escapees; several of them are facing murder charges or other violent charges. Police moved one family to safety, Kirkpatrick added to the news network.
Kirkpatrick added to CBS News that the escapees probably had help, and it wasn't likely that they still were wearing their jumpsuits. Kirpatrick also warned the public that those who harbor or help these escapees "will be charged," the news network also reported.
The sheriff's office is laying some of the blame for the escape on the city for not funding prison security upgrades, CBS News said, claiming it has been asking for help for five years. Hutson added that replacing the locks alone at the parish's prison facilities is estimated to cost $5.2 million, the news network said.
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A convicted killer whose federal death sentence was commuted by President Joe Biden may still face execution after he was indicted at the state level earlier this week.
On April 14, a grand jury in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, indicted Thomas Sanders for the brutal slaying of 12-year-old Lexis Kaye Roberts a decade and a half ago.
What Sanders has already been found guilty of doing is about as about as heinous as it gets.
Over Labor Day weekend in 2010, Sanders and his 31-year-old girlfriend, Suellen Roberts, decided to leave Las Vegas, Nevada, for a three-day vacation near the Grand Canyon. Roberts brought her daughter, Lexis, along with them.
As the trio drove back to Nevada, Sanders suddenly pulled off in a remote area of Arizona along I-40. He then shot and killed Suellen Roberts and kidnapped Lexis.
With Lexis held captive in his vehicle, Sanders then hit the road, traveling for days and more than 1,000 miles until he reached some woods in Catahoula Parish. There, he shot Lexis four times and slit her throat with such force that the knife left marks on her vertebrae, a DOJ statement said.
He left her body in the woods and fled the scene, prompting a nationwide manhunt that lasted a month. Finally, in November 2010, he was spotted at a truck stop in Gulfport, Mississippi, and arrested. He later made a taped confession that he had killed both mother and daughter.
In September 2014, four full years after the incident, a federal jury deliberated for barely an hour before finding Sanders guilty of one count of kidnapping resulting in death and one count of using a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death. Within days, the jury sentenced him to death.
'Mr. Biden commuted the federal death sentence imposed on Mr. Sanders to a sentence of life in prison, choosing to spare the life of a convicted child-killer over the victim, Lexis Kaye Roberts.'
A little over a decade later, Biden included Sanders among 37 federal death row inmates whose sentences would be commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The last-minute commutations were signed on December 23, 2024, and announced on Christmas Day.
Then-President-elect Donald Trump was in no jolly mood when he received the news.
"To the 37 most violent criminals, who killed, raped, and plundered like virtually no one before them, but were just given, incredibly, a pardon by Sleepy Joe Biden," he posted to Truth Social. "I refuse to wish a Merry Christmas to those lucky 'souls' but, instead, will say, GO TO HELL!"
Frustrated that the Biden administration thwarted the jury's decision in Sanders' case, Catahoula Parish District Attorney Bradley Burget says he will pursue the death penalty now that a state-level grand jury has indicted Sanders for the first-degree murder of Lexis Roberts.
"In 2010, the state deferred prosecution to the federal authorities, who successfully prosecuted and achieved justice for Lexis," Burget said in a statement.
"Yet Mr. Biden commuted the federal death sentence imposed on Mr. Sanders to a sentence of life in prison, choosing to spare the life of a convicted child-killer over the victim, Lexis Kaye Roberts."
Louisiana is one of just a handful of states in which death row inmates may be executed via electrocution. It also recently added nitrogen hypoxia as another execution method.
For 15 years, Louisiana had suspended all executions, but in February, Gov. Jeff Landry (R) announced that his state would begin carrying out the death penalty once again. On March 18, the state put to death Jessie Hoffman Jr., who raped and murdered 28-year-old Mary "Molly" Elliott on Thanksgiving Day, 1996. Hoffman was 18 years old at the time.
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The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Friday that it is punting a high-profile Louisiana redistricting case to its next term. While the case was originally expected to be decided this session, the nation’s highest court disclosed in an order that Louisiana v. Callais will be reargued during its 2025-2026 term. The announcement was made alongside […]
The reading and math scores of students in Mississippi and Louisiana have surpassed those in deeply Democratic states such as California.
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