Wednesday football links: Kettani’s path to the Patriots, Big East speculation, Army Pinterest and more
May 23rd, 2012 | After Action Air Force Army Football Navy | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Eric Kettani, here scoring during the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl, took a unique road from the Naval Academy to the NFL. (Image of Sport photo by Kirby Lee via US Presswire)
From leaving the Navy to being honored by the Army to the never-ending offseason soap opera that is the Big East Conference, here’s some quick football hits while you pick your favorite “Anchorman” clip — sequel trailer or Tim Kennedy experience:
1. Kettani’s quest. The Boston Herald gives an extensive look at Naval Academy grad Lt. j.g. Eric Kettani’s struggle to secure an early release from service to play football for the New England Patriots, a release he was granted late last month. Kettani must pay back about $60,000 for his education and will continue to serve in the Navy Reserve. The Herald report outlines a complicated appeals process that involved Kettani, his brother/manager, a family friend in Jacksonville, Fla., who happened to be a retired Army colonel, and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, whose Annapolis ties are firmly established.
2. Army honors. Speaking of NFL coaches, Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants and John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens will receive the Army’s third-highest civilian honor today in Arlington, Va. Coughlin — who’ll get the honor from his friend, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno — will be honored for his work with military veterans and the USO; Harbaugh helped established Military Appreciation Day for the Ravens and has organized visits to military bases.
3. Big East blowout. Links for those who like to keep up with conference chaos: Two from Keith Pompey at the Philadelphia Inquirer — an overview of the league meetings so far in Florida and a look at proposed football divisions (Air Force fans: The second one includes the latest round of Falcons-to-the-Big East speculation). And Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples offers his take here. Key quote: “When (if?) Navy joins the league for football in 2015 …”
4. Odds and ends. Navy makes the front page of ESPN’s “100 days till kickoff” section (No. 6 on the right-hand side). And are you up to speed on the photo-sharing site Pinterest? The folks at West Point are — here’s a page of pics from the spring game at Fort Benning, Ga.
Harris makes Cardinals debut; people whine
May 1st, 2012 | Baseball Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
The St. Louis Dispatch reported today that Navy Lt. j.g. Mitch Harris made his pro pitching debut yesterday. The right-hander got in for an inning, allowing three hits and one run while striking out one batter, according to the Dispatch’s Birdland blog.
As we blogged yesterday, the Navy has denied Harris early release from active duty to play with the Cardinals. He’s still on leave, and will stay with the team until the end of May before reporting to duty again.
If you do head over to the Dispatch’s site, and I encourage you to, be sure to take a look at the comments under the Harris piece. As usual, some folks seem aghast at the very notion that an academy graduate would leave active duty early to play pro sports. These type of grumpy comments come up every time there’s a story about a service member leaving active duty early, whether it be Harris or Lt. j.g. Eric Kettani or Air Force Lt. Ben Garland.
Generally, these comments are misguided at best, and bitter and mean-spirited at worse. So before folks start screaming about how awful it is that Harris or Kettani or Garland are trying to leave active duty early, it’s worth getting a few facts straight:
1.The DoD has an official policy that allows certain officers with the ability to play pro sports (a tiny minority of service members) to leave active duty early. Read it here.
2. The DoD did not create this policy to give people an easy way out of their service commitments. Rightly or wrongly, somebody in the Pentagon saw a recruiting and public relations benefit to allowing service members with extraordinary athletic talents to pursue pro careers.
3. There are specific conditions in the DoD policy for service members allowed to leave early. These include serving in the Reserve or National Guard and repaying a prorated amount of the cost of the service member’s education. Officers who leave early are also subject to recall to active duty at any time.
4. DoD allows each of the services to use its own discretion when it comes to the policy. For instance, then-Navy Secretary Donald Winter decided in 2008 it was not appropriate to allow anyone to leave early during a time of war. So while Army Lt. Caleb Campbell was allowed to leave active-duty in 2010 to chase his NFL dreams, the Navy did not allow Harris or golfer Billy Hurley (now on the PGA tour) to use the DoD policy.
5. Last year, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus relaxed his service’s policy, at which time Harris again applied for early release.
So if folks are going to get on their soapbox about Harris or Kettani or Garland trying to play pro sports, it seems to me they should direct their energy toward the Pentagon. It is DoD’s official policy that allows service members to leave active duty and play sports. Individuals like Harris, Kettani and Garland are operating within the rules created by the DoD. Why denigrate them for testing the waters?
That’s not to say there aren’t some good discussions to be had on this issue. For instance, there is plenty of room to argue about the recruiting or PR benefits of allowing an officer to play pro sports early. Unless an athlete is a star player in the mold of David Robinson and Napoleon McCallum, does he really give the service that much visibility?
Do certain sports (minor league baseball jumps to mind) allow for better recruiting opportunities than others?
All of the people released under the policy so far are football players. But if someone can’t get off the practice squad of an NFL team, should they be recalled to active duty?
There’s also a question of how the services make their decision — for instance, why was Kettani allowed to leave but Harris (with more time in service than Kettani) denied? Shouldn’t anyone who can get a pro contract (and has served honorably) at least get a chance?
And most important of all: Can the internet survive without ad hominem attacks? Probably not, you big dummy.
The Navy crushes Eric Kettani’s NFL dreams
October 7th, 2011 | Football Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Eric Kettani tweeted this picture yesterday, adding "Just left Patriot Place for maybe the last time, took a pic for everyone...Go #Patriots!"
Former Naval Academy standout Eric Kettani beat the odds this summer: Despite two years away from football after graduating in 2009 and serving on active duty in the Navy, he managed to make the New England Patriots practice squad. That made him one of just three former service academy players in the NFL, and the only Naval Academy grad among the group.
The Navy has rewarded this remarkable achievement … by denying Kettani leave and recalling him to active duty?
Yesterday Kettani tweeted that he was leaving the Patriots, and today the Boston Herald reported the Navy had denied Kettani’s request for leave and ordered him to report back to his ship in Jacksonville, Fla. So it appears that Kettani’s NFL season (and probably his NFL career) is over.
The Herald also ran an eyebrow-raising blurb from the letter sent to Kettani from the Navy.
“I appreciate your Patriotism and service to our nation and encourage you to pursue your goal to play professional football after completion of your service in the Navy.”
Wow. Either the person who wrote that sentence has no understanding of what it takes to play pro football, or they’re just being an a-hole. Kettani — or any non-star player who is away from the game for years at a time — has about zero shot of making the NFL in their late 20s.
As cruel as the Navy’s actions seem in this case, they are in line with section A of this memo released by the Defense Department in 2007, which says “[w]hile in excess leave status, personnel remain subject to recall to active duty.” Basically, the Navy can do whatever it wants, and Kettani has to salute and follow orders.
But the question here is: What has changed since July — when Kettani reported to training camp — and now? Why allow a sailor this opportunity in the first place if you’re only going to pull the rug out from under him?
Rough weekend for service academy grads in NFL
September 4th, 2011 | Air Force Army Football Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
The final three service academy graduates battling to make NFL teams were all released Saturday ahead of the league’s mandatory deadline for cutting squads to 53 players. The Eagles cut Air Force grad Chad Hall, New England cut Navy grad Eric Kettani and Detroit parted ways with Army grad Caleb Campbell.
But the news isn’t all bad. Hall, who led the Eagles in receiving in the preseason, will be signed to the Philadelphia practice squad, according to Philly.com. And Kettani, who missed much of the Patriots training camp with an injury, is a strong candidate to be signed to the New England practice squad according to the Boston Herald,
Hall and Campbell are both second-year players who saw limited action with their respective teams last year. Kettani, a 2009 Annapolis grad, is only recently removed from active-duty service in the Navy.
Campbell, who was also cut just before the start of last season and spent most of 2010 on the Lions’ practice squad, sounded on Sunday like he will continue pursuing his NFL dreams, but that his time with Detroit was over:
[blackbirdpie url="http://twitter.com/#!/LT_Campbell53/status/110423580839395328"]
If Campbell never plays another NFL game again, he can always say he went out with a bang:
Patriots release Navy grad Barnes [corrected]
August 30th, 2011 | Football Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
A little late on this (what else is new?), but yesterday the New England Patriots released wide receiver Tyree Barnes and running back Eric Kettani. Both players are 2008 graduates of the Naval Academy who left active duty earlier this summer for the chance to tryout for the Pats.
Neither player accumulated statistics in the Patriots’ first three preseason games.
It’s not clear yet what’s next for each sailor Barnes. Per DoD policy, an officer may serve two years on active duty before being allowed to switch to the reserve and try out for a pro league. Caleb Campbell and Chad Hall, who made the rosters of the Lions and the Eagles last season, respectively, were the most recent players to successfully transition to the NFL through this policy. Both Campbell and Hall survived the first round of cuts this week.
“If other opportunities arise [in the NFL], I’ll be quick to jump on those, or whether it’s me going back and serving my time [in the Navy], I’ll do that as well,” Barnes told NESN on Tuesday. “Right now, I don’t really know where I’ll be heading or what I’ll have to do or be asked to do. I just know whatever comes up, I’ll be ready to jump in it.”
In case you missed it last week, Ron Borges of the Boston Herald wrote a great piece about Barnes’ time in the Navy, which included chasing down Somali pirates aboard the destroyer Gonzalez.
THURSDAY UPDATE: Kettani was not cut by the Patriots, as I had initally blogged here. According to a report from NESN, Kettani has not practiced since July 29 due to a calf injury, but is still on the New England roster as of today. I apologize for relaying inaccurate information.
More post-lockout NFL news: Sailors to report, Marine a free agent
July 26th, 2011 | Army Football Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
The Boston Herald is reporting that two former Naval Academy standouts are expected to be joining the New England Patriots very soon.
Wide receiver Tyree Barnes and running back Eric Kettani — each commissioned as officers in 2009 — will be reporting to Patriots headquarters in Foxboro, Mass., this week, according to the paper. Barnes and Kettani both served the mandatory two years on active-duty that the Defense Department requires of service academy graduates seeking to play professional sports.
Both players, along with fellow class of 2009 grad Shun White, were kept on New England’s Reserve/Military list the past two seasons. White, who at last check was serving aboard the destroyer Stout, is still on active-duty. But he’s expected to join the Patriots later this year, according to the Herald.
Former Army star hoping for a shot
Collin Mooney, who set Army’s single season rushing record in 2008, is also now eligible to join an NFL team. His agent has been talking to teams and he is hoping to be in somebody’s camp by the weekend, according to the Times Herald-Record.
Currently stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Mooney is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Caleb Campbell. A 2008 West Point graduate, Campbell made the Detroit Lions last year as a linebacker after serving for two years on active duty. He’s the only West Point grad currently in the NFL.
Hall a free agent
Former Marine Ahmard Hall, the only prior enlisted player in the NFL last year, is now officially on the open market. The unrestricted free agent fullback has spent his entire five-year career with the Tennessee Titans, and he’s open to coming back to the team.
“I would love to retire as a Titan, and I don’t have a problem putting that out there,” Hall told The Tennessean. “But if I land with another team they will have my full allegiance and I will be 100 percent with them.”
Hall is considered one of the top fullbacks in the league, having helped Chris Johnson run for over 2,000 yards in 2009.
An explanation of the NFL’s reserve/military list
June 16th, 2010 | Football Marine Corps Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
New England's Bill Belichick has used the military/ reserve list to sign a few former Naval Academy football players. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
Anyone who follows Navy football knows that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick loves to give talented Midshipmen a shot at the NFL. Belichick’s father coached and worked as a scout at Navy for many years, and the younger Belichick has signed a handful of Navy grads and kept them on the team using the NFL’s reserve/military.
As far as I can see, the rules for list aren’t spelled out anywhere online, so it never fails to confuse folks. So here’s a very basic description of how it works from Patriots.com by Patriots Football Weekly writer Andy Hart:
Can U explain the Military Reserve and how and when it’s used?
Robert BumgardnerThe list is used for any player who is actively involved with the Armed Forces, and therefore cannot play out his NFL contract. The contract is essentially tolled, as the player is not paid and does not count against a team’s roster limit. The team can then activate the player and, if it chooses, expect him to play out the terms of the contract at whatever time he completes his military commitments. The Patriots currently have three players from the Navy on their Reserve/Military list: WR Tyree Barnes, WR Shun White and RB Eric Kettani.
For another explanation of the military/reserve list, check out this 2009 story on Boston.com.
Shun White, the Navy and the NFL
March 15th, 2010 | Football Marine Corps Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Shun White, seen playing for Navy during the Meineke Car Care Bowl in Dec. 2006, is under contract with the New England Patriots. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Trivia question: Which NFL team has three members of the Naval Academy class of 2009 on its roster?
Answer: The New England Patriots.
One of those players is former standout slotback Shun White, whose current situation at the Naval Academy is examined in this week’s edition of Navy Times. White, who signed with the Patriots as a free agent in May 2009, was allowed to reschedule an exam in order to practice with New England last spring, according to one of colleague Phil Ewing’s sources. And close to a year after his classmates received their commissions, White remains at the academy.
Ewing talked with sources in the Navy community who are concerned that allowing White and officers in the fleet to be under contract with NFL teams gives football players an incentive to not fulfill their service commitments.
USNA Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk disagrees, telling Navy Times that letting former Navy players have relationships with an NFL team doesn’t mean that they’ll be allowed out of their service commitment:
“It’s very clear to everyone on the Yard … with those that will ask the question, ‘Is there any chance that the secretary of the Navy might release us to play in the NFL?’ The answer is ‘no’ here,” Gladchuk told Navy Times. “Number one, you’ve got an obligation to go serve; number two, the NFL knows very clearly that as a … sailor or Marine, there’s no chance at all for them to participate.”
Because the article is for subscribers only, I can’t give any more details out here, but I’d recommend logging in or picking up a copy of Navy Times to read the full story.
Oh, and the other two sailors on the Patriots roster? Ensign Eric Kettani, who played fullback for the Mids, and Ensign Tyree Barnes, who played wide receiver.