Ross Russell Jr. eager to make football return says dad
By Joel Bailey (T&T Newsday)
ROSS RUSSELL jnr is eager to make his return to football, after spending 25 months in prison, according to his father, ex-national goalkeeper and current team goalkeeping coach Ross Russell.
The 25-year-old Russell jnr was before the court along with former Defence Force teammate Balondemu Julius for the June 5 2016 murder of Selwyn Gaff in Chaguaramas.
Russell was discharged by acting deputy Chief Magistrate Nanette Forde-John on Monday after the Director of Public Prosecutions issued a notice of discontinuance of the charge.
When contacted on Tuesday, Russell snr said, “(Ross jnr) has plenty desire to play football again. He’s a footballer. He just has to get fit, he knows that. He’s taking it one day at a time.
“(Tuesday) was his first day out so he hasn’t taken anything into consideration like who he’s going to play with,” continued Russell snr. “He’s just enjoying the moment.”
Russell snr, a former Defence Force coach, acknowledged that the past two years were tough but his family were able to cope.
“As a family, I think we coped as well as we could have,” he said. “We had to be strong for him. We had to be there for him, financially and physically. We stood up well to the test. I don’t think we crumbled as a family. We put our heads together and (fought) it out, and ensured that he (came) out.”
According to Russell snr, his son intends to make up for lost time as is spending most of time with his two children.
RELATED NEWS
Ex-Defence Force star, Russell Jr, freed of murder charge, after 25 months in jail.
Wired868.com.
Twenty five year old Ross Russell Jr, a former Defence Force football stand-out, was freed today, after two years in jail awaiting trial for the murder of former Diego Martin resident Selwyn Gaff.
Russell Jr, who maintained his innocence and offered an alibi which suggested he could not have been at the scene of the crime, was released due to insufficient evidence. Sources told Wired868 that he will now consider his options with regards to seeking redress from the state for his lengthy incarceration.
Gaff was 28 when he died from a gunshot wound on 6 June 2016, after being found in the Macqueripe forest, barely alive, by lawmen. He was allegedly shot in the abdomen and left for dead on the previous day.
Russell Jr, who is the son of former Trinidad and Tobago international goalkeeper and current Soca Warriors assistant coach Ross Russell, was detained at Teteron Headquarters along with his cousin and fellow soldier, Balondemu Julius, immediately after Gaff’s death.
Russell Jr and Julius were discharged from the Defence Force and formally charged, a week later, with Gaff’s murder, possession of arms and ammunition and shooting at Gaff’s friend, Jesse Quashie, with intent to do previous bodily harm.
Russell Jr and Julius both represented the Army/Coast Guard combination when they last won the Pro League title in the 2012/13 season. At the time, the “Teteron Boys” were coached by Russell.
Julius, who is 36, remains imprisoned for Gaff’s murder and awaits trial.
