Former Patriots WR Reche Caldwell Shot & Killed in FL

E5 Yaz

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Caldwell's mother tells us ... Reche -- real name Donald Caldwell -- was getting ready to take his girlfriend out on a date when he went back inside his home to grab a jacket.
Reche's GF says the former player was "ambushed" by a "couple of people" who jumped out of bushes trying to rob him.
Something sounds a little off here. These people waiting in the bushes didn't stop him and his girlfriend on the way to the car, but waited until he went back to the house -- which they had no idea he was going to do?

Maybe the reality is lost in translation, but the first telling of this isn't clear.
 

Mueller's Twin Grannies

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That story is definitely all kinds of weird. I know it's Florida but still.

One has to wonder if this was a hit or something planned along those lines.

What a tragedy. RIP Reche
 

richgedman'sghost

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That story is definitely all kinds of weird. I know it's Florida but still.

One has to wonder if this was a hit or something planned along those lines.

What a tragedy. RIP Reche
When I read the headline considering it was in Florida, I expected to read that some yahoo deputy sheriff in Pasco County had shot Reche because he had a broken taillight or some other phony excuse. It's terrible that that's the first thing you think of nowadays, but as this week has shown too many POC's have been killed by cops to think otherwise
As it turns out my assumption was completely wrong and the situation does seem kinda fishy. As mentioned above, Reche was the best of a bad lot of receivers in 2006 and he gave it his all . Thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
 

pjheff

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Reche had well-publicized legal issues after his career ended, including charges for running a gambling ring and dealing drugs. I hope he had turned his life around since his incarceration, but my first reaction to the news was to think that he hadn’t.
 

Reggie's Racquet

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Yes...he had some issues...

From Wikipedia..

"On May 14, 2014, Caldwell was arrested for drug possession and intent to distribute. On January 30, 2015, he was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison and three years probation for possession of MDMA with intent to distribute. In addition, he pleaded guilty to drug charges involving marijuana and ecstasy, along with charges involving gambling."

"On December 12, 2019, Caldwell was accused by the Justice Department of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit health fraud on January 23, 2020, and was set to be sentenced in June 2020."
 

Awesome Fossum

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Something sounds a little off here. These people waiting in the bushes didn't stop him and his girlfriend on the way to the car, but waited until he went back to the house -- which they had no idea he was going to do?

Maybe the reality is lost in translation, but the first telling of this isn't clear.
Sounds like they were planning to burglarize the house and weren't expecting him to come back in?
 

InstaFace

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Edit: this part discussed and retracted.

RIP. Today, lets forget the drop and remember the glorious 3rd and 10 a week before..
View: https://youtu.be/3WGcAaxckag?t=798
Yes, what an incredible game that was. 2 minutes to go in the 1st half, things looked bleak. I'd forgotten how bleak they were after that Tomlinson rumble and TD. And then that 2-minute drive (top-5 2:00-drill by Brady? top 3?), and that absurd tip-and-interception by Rosevelt Colvin while getting clotheslined, and it just flipped the vengeance switch. And that was all before the career moment of Troy Brown's illustrious career. Unbelievable.

Caldwell, and everyone on the Pats sideline that day, deserved to tell their kids and grandkids about that game.
 
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NortheasternPJ

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I dunno why some people are trying to piss on his grave. Maybe every obituary you read begins with "he wasn't a saint, but...". I certainly can't recall any like that. It's one thing to talk about Kobe hurting a very specific someone and then very publicly getting away with it, thereby setting back the cause of sexual assault prevention by a decade or more. It's another to bring up that the guy dealt some drugs, as if St Peter is going to send him to burn over that. Good christ, the lack of taste here is so severe, some people in this thread need to get tested for COVID.


Yes, what an incredible game that was. 2 minutes to go in the 1st half, things looked bleak. I'd forgotten how bleak they were after that Tomlinson rumble and TD. And then that 2-minute drive (top-5 2:00-drill by Brady? top 3?), and that absurd tip-and-interception by Rosevelt Colvin while getting clotheslined, and it just flipped the vengeance switch. And that was all before the career moment of Troy Brown's illustrious career. Unbelievable.

Caldwell, and everyone on the Pats sideline that day, deserved to tell their kids and grandkids about that game.
I don't think anyone in this thread is really pissing on his grave. It's fair to discuss why someone would be shot and killed at their house after going to jail for dealing MDMA. It's not like the thread is full of jokes about his eyes and he should have seen it coming and stuff.

Outside of the giant drop, I liked Caldwell when he was here and he filled a gap that was severely needed. Sad to see anyone this young go.
 

Oppo

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I dunno why some people are trying to piss on his grave. Maybe every obituary you read begins with "he wasn't a saint, but...". I certainly can't recall any like that. It's one thing to talk about Kobe hurting a very specific someone and then very publicly getting away with it, thereby setting back the cause of sexual assault prevention by a decade or more. It's another to bring up that the guy dealt some drugs, as if St Peter is going to send him to burn over that. Good christ, the lack of taste here is so severe, some people in this thread need to get tested for COVID.


Yes, what an incredible game that was. 2 minutes to go in the 1st half, things looked bleak. I'd forgotten how bleak they were after that Tomlinson rumble and TD. And then that 2-minute drive (top-5 2:00-drill by Brady? top 3?), and that absurd tip-and-interception by Rosevelt Colvin while getting clotheslined, and it just flipped the vengeance switch. And that was all before the career moment of Troy Brown's illustrious career. Unbelievable.

Caldwell, and everyone on the Pats sideline that day, deserved to tell their kids and grandkids about that game.
Seems like just speculation on why he was killed and it doesn’t seem unreasonable.
 

InstaFace

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The guy is dead. If "he had some issues" is in someone's view the first thing that needs to be said about him (and in the case of posts 7 and 9, the only thing)... well, you've got a different set of priorities than I do.

As to Caldwell, jump to 13:18 in the video above if you want the main Caldwell highlight, but just as big (if less spectacular) was the game-tying touchdown at 12:30.
 

richgedman'sghost

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I dunno why some people are trying to piss on his grave. Maybe every obituary you read begins with "he wasn't a saint, but...". I certainly can't recall any like that. It's one thing to talk about Kobe hurting a very specific someone and then very publicly getting away with it, thereby setting back the cause of sexual assault prevention by a decade or more. It's another to bring up that the guy dealt some drugs, as if St Peter is going to send him to burn over that. Good christ, the lack of taste here is so severe, some people in this thread need to get tested for COVID.


Yes, what an incredible game that was. 2 minutes to go in the 1st half, things looked bleak. I'd forgotten how bleak they were after that Tomlinson rumble and TD. And then that 2-minute drive (top-5 2:00-drill by Brady? top 3?), and that absurd tip-and-interception by Rosevelt Colvin while getting clotheslined, and it just flipped the vengeance switch. And that was all before the career moment of Troy Brown's illustrious career. Unbelievable.

Caldwell, and everyone on the Pats sideline that day, deserved to tell their kids and grandkids about that game.
I wasn't pissing on his grave. I was merely stating that when I heard the headline on the news today that Caldwell was shot in Florida, I figured it was some redneck Trump supporting county sheriff doing it because Reche had a broken taillight. It's a shame that that's the first thing that comes to your mind when a young African American is killed but as we've seen this week that happens all to often. Black Lives Matter!
As it turns out my assumptions were totally off base and I apologize. Reche was the best of a bad lot in 2006 but deserves enormous credit for his contributions in the San Diego playoff game.
 

pjheff

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The guy is dead. If "he had some issues" is in someone's view the first thing that needs to be said about him (and in the case of posts 7 and 9, the only thing)... well, you've got a different set of priorities than I do.
It‘s not the first thing that needs to be said about him but perhaps about what happened to him. And it’s not the only thing to say about him which is why I wrote “I hope he had turned his life around since his incarceration.” I am a UF alum who has rooted for Reche since 1998, doubly so when he joined the Pats in 2006. I didn’t come here to piss on the man’s grave, debate his entrance the afterlife, or discuss his performance or lack thereof in meaningless football games thirteen years ago, only to wonder why his life was taken too soon.
 

DJnVa

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When I read the headline considering it was in Florida, I expected to read that some yahoo deputy sheriff in Pasco County had shot Reche because he had a broken taillight or some other phony excuse. It's terrible that that's the first thing you think of nowadays, but as this week has shown too many POC's have been killed by cops to think otherwise
As it turns out my assumption was completely wrong
So maybe that shouldn't be your first assumption next time.
 

Shaky Walton

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RIP. Today, lets forget the drop and remember the glorious 3rd and 10 a week before..
View: https://youtu.be/3WGcAaxckag?t=798
That was an enjoyable watch. Thank you. Nice to see Caldwell make those plays and also be reminded of how great Gaffney played in NE. Oh, and seeing the Chargers and specifically LDT, way overreact to the post game celebration of the giddy Patriots players is always appreciated.
 

RSN Diaspora

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Edit: this part discussed and retracted.


Yes, what an incredible game that was. 2 minutes to go in the 1st half, things looked bleak. I'd forgotten how bleak they were after that Tomlinson rumble and TD. And then that 2-minute drive (top-5 2:00-drill by Brady? top 3?), and that absurd tip-and-interception by Rosevelt Colvin while getting clotheslined, and it just flipped the vengeance switch. And that was all before the career moment of Troy Brown's illustrious career. Unbelievable.

Caldwell, and everyone on the Pats sideline that day, deserved to tell their kids and grandkids about that game.
We were in Vegas for my bachelor party that weekend, and I had drunkenly bet more than I could afford to lose on the Pats to win outright. When my brother and I strolled down to the sports book to cash in our tickets afterward, we were in Pats jerseys and exchanging high fives with other random Pats fans, while Chargers fans averted their eyes. It was awesome.

Sad news.
 

jaytftwofive

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R.I.P Reche. The Chargers had the best team in the NFL that year, IMO. As much as I jumped for joy at the win, I realized they made some dumb plays and Schottenheimer didn't do a good job that day. They gave us the game in many ways. I see no way the Colts beating the Chargers in San Diego. The Chargers owned the Colts back then.
 

InstaFace

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R.I.P Reche. The Chargers had the best team in the NFL that year, IMO. As much as I jumped for joy at the win, I realized they made some dumb plays and Schottenheimer didn't do a good job that day. They gave us the game in many ways. I see no way the Colts beating the Chargers in San Diego. The Chargers owned the Colts back then.
That was definitely the prevailing point of view from this great oral history about that 2006 Divisional vs SD, from last year:

https://weei.radio.com/blogs/ryan-hannable/oral-history-patriots-chargers-2006-afc-divisional-round-classic
I'd forgotten until just now re-reading it that Troy Brown's legendary strip was recovered by Reche Caldwell.
 

Marciano490

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We were in Vegas for my bachelor party that weekend, and I had drunkenly bet more than I could afford to lose on the Pats to win outright. When my brother and I strolled down to the sports book to cash in our tickets afterward, we were in Pats jerseys and exchanging high fives with other random Pats fans, while Chargers fans averted their eyes. It was awesome.

Sad news.
I might’ve been one of them. That was a helluva weekend.
 

bosox4283

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Reche had well-publicized legal issues after his career ended, including charges for running a gambling ring and dealing drugs. I hope he had turned his life around since his incarceration, but my first reaction to the news was to think that he hadn’t.
Sorry to go V&N here, but I find it frustrating and troubling that the State has legalized these two activities while continuing to criminalize them.
 

DJnVa

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Sorry to go V&N here, but I find it frustrating and troubling that the State has legalized these two activities while continuing to criminalize them.
There's a shit ton of things like that.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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Wait, are we ignoring Oppo here? To add to that, gambling isn’t legal either unless its regulated. Spirit vs letter and all, but MDMA isn’t legal and gambling is pretty recent.