If you’re a service-academy football fan who doesn’t keep up with the pro game, or even if you just decided to spend your Labor Day doing something other than refreshing the NFL.com practice-squad page over and over, here’s a brief recap of where some academy standouts found themselves as NFL teams trimmed down to the 53-man roster limit: Ben Garland (Air Force): The former standout defensive lineman for the Falcons made the Denver Broncos roster, but not on defense. Garland, who was promoted to captain in the Colorado Air National Guard in May, switched to offensive guard last year. He first…
Browsing: Eric Kettani
Reserve Navy Lt. Eric Kettani has lost his day job, according to multiple media reports. The former Annapolis standout will be one of several players cut by the Washington Redskins to reach Tuesday’s 75-man roster limit, ESPN and other outlets have reported. The team has yet to announce any cuts. Among the other reported cuts for the Redskins: Veteran wide receiver Donte’ Stallworth, who tweeted out a picture of Kettani in his (Navy) uniform before the team’s preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans and sent a similar image before Saturday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills: [HTML1] Neither player appears…
Eric Kettani’s football career has been anything but typical: Graduate from Naval Academy, make New England Patriots practice squad, leave Patriots after request for leave from Navy is denied, return to Patriots’ practice squad after being granted an early release from active duty after all, get released by the Patriots, get signed by the Patriots again, then get released again and signed by the Washington Redskins. Now signed to a futures contract with the Redskins, Kettani can participate in offseason practices. After one such practice on Monday, he engaged in another atypical NFL activity — his head coach participated in his…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…