Former Navy wide reciever Tyree Barnes is back at his old job on the destroyer Gonzalez after getting cut by the New England Patriots in August, NESN.com reported today. Barnes can leave the ship if another team wants to sign him, according to the report.
Barnes had left Gonzalez earlier this summer to tryout for the Patriots. He had served the mandatory two years on active duty required by DoD policy before being able to play professional sports, and reported to Patriots camp along with fellow Navy teammate Eric Kettani. Both players had been signed by New England as undrafted free agents in 2009 and then placed on the team’s Reserve/Military list.
Kettani, who battled an injury in camp, was released by New England in the final preaseason cuts and was subsequently signed to the practice squad. He’s the only USNA graduate currently on a NFL roster. There are only two other service academy grads currently in the league: Army’s Caleb Campbell is on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad, while Air Force’s Chad Hall is on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad.
