He's no Staubach

Kyle Eckel returns to the neighborhood tonight as a member of the New England Patriots.

[OldNavyChief]

Excellent article; however, I did not know one could opt out of the service commitment.

[GOARMY]

While Tomilson opted out, he has to repay the cost of his education and may in fact have to serve in the enlisted ranks for serveral years. Eckel has to repay the Navy $90,000+ for the cost of this education.

It is not as if Navy is bringing in guys to play football and let them out of their obligation and it isn't as thought the vast majority don't take their obligation with pride, just look as Zerbin Singleton, a football player that was just named as the Brigade Commander. That wasn't and should have been in this artilce if the writer really did just a wee bit more research.

Guys have always left the academies even in their junior and senior years. It isn't many but the few that do still owe the service money or time in the enlisted ranks. It isn't a "pass" and the article would seem to imply.

Someone has to be the anchorman. It this case it was Eckel. That's just the way it was for his graduating class. He passed, he graduated. That's more then a lot of folks can say.

[Pain]

I searched to verify these "facts" by Mr. Maese. I found that Kyle Eckel and the Navy agreed he could be released from service. He was not "kicked out" as it was stated. Also, according to people at USNA, Jason Tomlinson is serving as an enlisted serviceman.
Both individuals had to repay USNA. I would think, as a matter of professionalism, Mr. Maese would explore all the facts. I believe his remarks should be clarified. Unfortunately, the disparaging remarks may be the only words remembered by many people.

[patsfan111111]

i dont even understand how a fifth string running back even has this type of story being written about him. jeez is the media that determined to crap all over the pats by searching for any little thing to make into a headline? why arent the same reporters diving into the reggie bush scandal at usc more deeply than a fifth string running back and whether or not he was allowed to leave the naval academy. correct me if im wrong but the naval academy is a college right? and college players leave all the time to play pro ball. if i am wrong someone please correct me but i would also like to know why this is a story to begin with.

[Go Navy]

Thanks, GOARMY, for adding some perspective. Also, let's not forget Ron Winchester, starting offensive tackle in 1999 and 2000, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. He's not the only former Navy player who has died in combat. I'd like to see Rick Maese do a follow-up story on where some of the other recent Navy players are serving.

[ProudVeteran]

This article confirms my suspicions that the Academy has lowered standards for football success. Did anyone listen to the interviews after the game and the "stars" could not complete a sentence in proper English. It was all "ghetto." Are these the leaders we want leading our servicemen and women?

[patsfan111111]

also in reading the article it doesnt say anywhere that athletes at the academy have to stay in and go onto be naval officers. sounds like instead of blaming eckel the navy should blame themselves. high school athletes go to college, more often than not, to try and go pro. even though the odds are slim from that level plenty of people try. why is it wrong for a guy like eckel to go to a place that accepted him and try to go pro? maybe other colleges looked him over and thats the only place he got accepted. if it is that big of a deal then the navy should dissolve their sports programs so stories like this will never be an issue. sounds like this reporter had nothing better to do than bash someone on the patriots just to try and take away from what the pats are doing this year. sad that with the other real issues going on around the league this guy felt compelled to talk about a fifth string running back on the best team rather than something really important. maybe how eckel has more touchdowns than the washington redskin wide receiver core.

[patsfan111111]

you would also think he could be writing about sean taylor, a real story especially being as close to washington as baltimore is.

[patsfan111111]

Go Navy wrote:

Thanks, GOARMY, for adding some perspective. Also, let's not forget Ron Winchester, starting offensive tackle in 1999 and 2000, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. He's not the only former Navy player who has died in combat. I'd like to see Rick Maese do a follow-up story on where some of the other recent Navy players are serving.

you put your finger on an even better story for this reporter to be writing. but typical media, they want to talk about something stupid and meaningless to start a controversy rather than praise people for what they do thats positive. not saying dying in iraq is positive but the idea of being there is and this reporter should be concentrating on the 99% of good that comes out of the academy rather than the 1% of not so good.

[NavyGrad]

The article is accurate. The article raises an important point. About one in 10 get admitted to Annapolis.

Eckel took the spot of someone who could of been in the thick of the fight right beside Ron Winchester. Navy was NOT created to service young people's ambitions. It's purpose is to graduate officers to fight this nation's wars. Eckel self-selected to go to Navy knowing this. Navy leadership may of been wrong in not better screening this man, but this has nothing to do with picking on the Patriots or Eckel. His selfishness denied, you, me and our families the service of some other fine young officer who has a sense of military commitment and purpose.

Mike S.

[Crabtown Gal]

For the record, neither Eckel nor Tomlinson was on the team that beat Notre Dame. Take a look at the guys on the 2007 team -- who did topple Notre Dame, beat Army and are going to play in a bowl -- in about five years and you might find that they really were aspiring Naval and Marine officers who happened to play football.

[Whistle Pig]

Thanks for a candid story about a less than attractive former Midshipman. They're not all angels, and Eckel was certainly among that group, it would seem.

You note ...

"They'd topple Notre Dame, beat Army, play in a bowl - all on the backs of midshipmen who happened to play football."

Fortunately they do virtually, if not literally all the time. Go Navy! Beat Army again next season!

[sdr]

uh, patsfan, the article did put some blame on the navy and is asking the academy to consider their evaluation of football players and their service requirements. he wrote the story because the academy is very close to baltimore (closer than dc and the sean taylor story) and their recruiting practices are of interest to local readers. sounds like you have gotten a little overly sensitive in relation to your pats. and the sun did extensive coverage of the sean taylor story as they should have...

[Altec]

NavyGrad wrote:

The article is accurate. The article raises an important point. About one in 10 get admitted to Annapolis.
Eckel took the spot of someone who could of been in the thick of the fight right beside Ron Winchester. Navy was NOT created to service young people's ambitions. It's purpose is to graduate officers to fight this nation's wars. Eckel self-selected to go to Navy knowing this. Navy leadership may of been wrong in not better screening this man, but this has nothing to do with picking on the Patriots or Eckel. His selfishness denied, you, me and our families the service of some other fine young officer who has a sense of military commitment and purpose.
Mike S.

right...you can say the same about those that quit during plebe summer, those that get kicked out for unsats, those that lie, and those that just leave before signing their 2 for 7. I feel that the article is a little biased and there is a lot of mistakes in the "facts". There is no selfishness in deciding that you would do better in a certain area. If we went by your idealogy, maybe we should get rid of all the sports teams at Navy. Would that help? There better be a rebuttal to this poorly written article, and whoever that 1stLT is seems like a Joe.

[Old Sailor]

Pro football is welcome to him. My family and I are delighted that he does not have the honor of wearing the uniform of a Naval Officer or that of an Officer of Marines.

[MoreSingletonsLe ssEckels]

Eckel did nothing as an officer. Nothing. They had to remove him from his ship. It is not because he was bad or incompetent, he immaturely felt that he just would not do anything. If I were the parent of a freshly enlisted 18 year old, and found out that my child's first division officer provided nothing in support of the care, training and development of my offspring prior to deploying to a warzone, I would be furious. He was sent ashore. He was told his commitment would be up in two years, but he did not keep his end of the bargain by working for those two years. He was fired, not released. His family moans how unfair the navy treated him...how he gained all this notoriety for Navy, and Navy owes him. I would have rather lost then produce scum like him that only makes others have to work harder. I hope his brother has a better attitude when he shows up...or I hope they show him the gate quickly.
Also..."should have" not "should of" Mike S.

[gonavy]

patsfan, all graduates of the naval academy are required to serve 5 years active duty in the navy or marine corps, regardless of whether they were an athlete. maese could care less about the patriots. he just wanted to make a point. proudveteran, this "ghetto" language you identified has nothing to do with their effectiveness or intelligence. to say that football players in general at the academy are like that is wrong: look at reggie campbell and zerbin singleton, or adam ballard who is entering the marine corps after graduation.

[Navy Grad 1984]

This guy is an embarrassment to the institution and his country. Watching him celebrate on the sidelines as the Patriots head to the Super Bowl is disgusting. He was kicked out of the navy. As a 20 year retired officer, I have only seen officers administratively separated for extreme personal conduct. This clown made a nuisance of himself knowing that the Patriots would pick him up. The fact that the navy let him do this is disturbing. He should be in Iraq or Gitmo not heading to Arizona. At least you have the courage to point this out to the American People. Perhaps you should send a note to John Madden and his brethren in the booth so that they will stop putting this idiot on a pedestal and disparaging the navy and all of us honorable graduates.