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.
