Beloved Husband and Teacher Dies after Suffering COVID Symptoms.
BALDWIN: While schools and athletic departments around the country are grappling with how to proceed during a pandemic, just hours ago, in Oxford, Mississippi, Laticia James buried her husband, Nacoma. And James was a 42-year-old middle school teacher and an assistant high school football coach and he died last week while self-quarantining with COVID-19 like symptoms. And James had been around students all summer doing those football workouts and so all these students wrote these tributes to the man everyone called, "coach." And let me just read one for you: Coach James will truly be missed but he will never be forgotten. His soul is anchored into Commodore nation for now and many more years to come. Signed BJ Curry. And from Jason Sawyer here, quote, rest easy coach and thanks for never switching it up on us, doors for life. Of course, doors short for Commodores. And just with those tributes in mind I want to bring in Laticia James, the wife of coach Nacoma James. And so Mrs. James, I am so sorry for the loss of your husband. Welcome.</s>LATICIA JAMES, JUST RETURNED FROM HER HUSBAND'S FUNERAL: Thank you so very much.</s>BALDWIN: I see those gorgeous flowers on your shoulder. I know that you came straight from his grave site to do this interview and I know my producer told you, you know, Mrs. James, we can do this another day and you said, no, that you wanted to come on TV and honor your husband. And so, let's start just by doing that. Tell us about him. Tell us about the man you married just four years ago the man everyone knew as "coach."</s>JAMES: Nacoma James was a wonderful man. He was always giving, always willing to help. All you had to do was one call and he was there to help you. If he couldn't help you, he will figure out a way to help you. And the things that he helped you with, no one else knew because that's the reason why he was helping you, because it was out of his heart and not for show and not for recognition. That just what type of man my husband was. He showed me and my girls, you know, a wonderful love that I have never experienced before. He's so compassionate, caring, you know. Just an amazing man. And I'm truly, truly blessed to have been his wife and I thank God for the four years we've been together. It seems short but I'm grateful for it.</s>BALDWIN: We're looking at the beautiful wedding day photos and the big smiles. But let's talk about what happened. It is the end of July, I know your husband started not feeling well. And maybe thought he had a bad sinus infection. He goes to the doctor. They don't test him for COVID, doctor gives him a Z-Pak, says go home, you'll feel better and then a couple of days later he's running a fever and it all gets worse. How did he eventually realize he had coronavirus?</s>JAMES: The previous week he went -- because my husband suffered sinuses all of the time. He had sinus all year long, sinus problems all year long. So, he just thought it was like a worse case of sinus. So, on the 28th he went to the doctor and he got a shot and a Z-Pak. Finish out the rest of the week with the players, the 28th was the last day he was around players. That was a Thursday. The weekend came on, that Saturday he started going down a little bit. Sunday is when he started running fever and the next day was our first day of staff development. So, he wasn't able to come. So, I was at work, and around 12:00 on the 3rd, that Monday, he called and asked to go to the doctor, will I take him to the doctor? And so, I left work because all my co-workers know that my husband never got sick. So if he's asking to go to the doctor something's wrong. So, I picked him up, took him to the doctor. The doctor tested him for pneumonia and COVID. At first, they were still thinking it was maybe his sinuses. But, you know, it was best for us to test him for pneumonia and COVID. And we did X-rays that day. They prescribed him medicine. They gave him a nebulizer to take breathing treatments with. As the week went on, you know, he was in a coma, he was still in a coma up until the last minute, my husband was in a coma.</s>BALDWIN: So, he was fine. When you say he was in a coma, he was your husband, he was still smiling, and then suddenly, you know, you, someone ends up dialing 911. And then he goes to the hospital. And I was reading some of your notes to our producers that, you know, folks started showing up for him at the hospital. The head coach, the sheriff, you know, people who loved him. And I read that you said death was the furthest thing from your mind. So how did you find out that he didn't make it?</s>JAMES: When the paramedics came, he still had a slight cough. When he was in my arms, he still had a slight cough. When the paramedics came, we left out up under depression we was going to get him stable so we can go to the emergency room. So that's when I called head coach Fair to meet us there because we're Commodores, we're family. If something happens to one, it happens to us all. So therefore, I made sure I got in contact with our immediate Commodore family. So, I'm waiting, time goes on. You know, I'm not really thinking about the time. However, after a while our Sheriff Joey East comes in and I'm thinking, you know, this is not right. But still in my mind everything's going to be all right. You know, this is my husband. I mean it's all right. We're about to go to the hospital and everything's going to be all right.</s>BALDWIN: And then it wasn't.</s>JAMES: It wasn't. He came -- the paramedic came and said, ma'am, we've been working on him for 45 minutes. We've done all we can. And I believe that because one of the deputies that was there who showed up with the paramedics once they asked for identity for Nacoma. And I said Nacoma James, and he said is that Coach James back there? And I was like yes. And you could see the sorrow on his face, the determination to try to make things right back there for him. But so, I believe they did all they could for my husband. But it wasn't in the plan. It was unreal. You know, my husband was a healthy man besides his sinuses. And you could not pay me enough money to think that my husband's time would expire so soon. When people in the community heard about him passing away, you know, everybody's reaction was, no way, not coach James, not Nacoma because passing away and Nacoma didn't go together. It just really didn't. We all know we have a date and a time, but no one, no one had the feeling that my husband's time would come so soon.</s>BALDWIN: And that is the thing with this virus that is just so profoundly devastating. And can I just say, Mrs. James, I so admire you. I admire your strength, how you're able to hold it together. You literally just buried your husband and you are here honoring him. I wish you all the love and health and peace to you and your girls. Thank you so much for coming on and sharing this story and honoring your husband. I appreciate it.</s>JAMES: Thank you so very much.</s>BALDWIN: You're welcome. Thank you. We'll be right back.