July was a relatively quiet month in Navy Sports. But with camp starting this past week, there’s official buzz about the 2012 football season. Unfortunately, it’s not all good news. Here’s what’s been fit to print:
– Bo Snelson and Brye French were stripped of their captain stripes by the Academy. According to Niumatalolo, it was for off-the-field transgressions, going on to say “They’re still our leaders. They may not have the military stripes, but when those two guys speak, people listen. I think those guys set a great tone.” Navy will be going with game captains this season, giving others the responsibility of representing the team at the coin flip.
– In the same article as that bomb came the news that three other players, CB Albrey Felder, WR Brandon Turner, and OLB Josh Tate, were all sent home from camp for not passing the PRT when they came back from their summer blocks. As Bill Wagner points out, this isn’t the first time players have failed the PRT when coming back to camp. But in the past they have stayed on the yard to get in shape and continue with practice. This puts the three of them, two of whom projected as starters, behind the eight ball for the start of the season.
Opinion: As someone who stood plenty of days of restriction at the academy (and still proudly displays his tape ball from the musters), I’m well aware of the downside of trying to rate what one can skate. While it is extremely disappointing to see the captains of the football team screw up in such a manner, they have owned up to it (as evidenced by them weathering a storm of questions at Media Day this weekend) and will move on. I also failed the PRT while I was a mid (hey, say what you want about me, but don’t forget McCain was low in his class, too!) and know those repercussions, too. Navy’s motto for this year is “It’s Not About Me” (INAM) – building on the thought that there were too many uncharacteristic mistakes last year and a need for renewed intensity in the offseason. These punishments, while a blight at the start of the season, are necessary and indicative of a program trying to turn around the errors that lead to Navy’s first losing season in nearly a decade.
– In Big East news, Big East Coast Bias related an article in the New York Daily News that sources close to NBC have stated that NBC would make an offer to the Big East of $10M a year for football-only schools and $4M a year for basketball schools, with full members like Rutgers and UConn getting the full $14M – just $3M less than what the ACC got from its latest look-in renegotiation with ESPN. While the biggest conferences get much more than that, it certainly puts the Big East closer to the traditional “BCS Conferences” and further distances themselves from the likes of the MWC and CUSA. Remember, in 2012, the MWC is paying out a paltry $800,000 to member schools.
Opinion: It takes courage and mettle to play in a conference that makes that little from TV.
– In extraordinarily sad news, Midshipman 1/C Austin Zalik was killed this past Friday in an accident in Pennsylvania. Zalik had been selected as the captain of the gymnastics team for this upcoming season. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.
The Birddog 
Looks like Niumatalolo won’t tolerate any BS this year. If 300+ lb linemen can pass the 1.5 mile run, why can receivers, corner backs and linebackers?
If you cannot pass the Navy PRT, then you should not be playing football for Navy!
That’s why they’re not playing until they pass. I think KN has made his stance pretty clear in this instance.
Also, as has been pointed out elsewhere, the football players were having to take the PRT very shortly after coming off summer cruise, whereas the Brigade at large always has at least a month after Reform to get back into PRT shape.
C’mon, unbelievable that a football player cannot run 1.5 miles in 10.5 minutes or do the minimum situps and pushups required in a PRT. These guys had to be slacking during their test. Good to see that the coaching staff finally put an end to slacking on the PRT. I would recommend they caution the team further that failure would get them off for the entire season as the team won’t win with attitude lapses like that.
I’m amazed that so many people have fixated on the PRT issue. Flabbergasted, actually…
During my incarceration at the Federal Penitentiary at Annapolis each semester we performed the Applied Strength ( pull-ups, sit-ups, broad jump ), the mile run, and the O-course. These were administered at different times throughout the semester. I “want to remember” the varsity athletes usually took these tests at the beginning of their appropriate practice seasons, but one the first day, one the next… I know the PRT took the place of parts of these tests, but what are the “every semester unless you validate” requirements now? This is outside of the class specific boxing, wrestling, judo, gymspastics, etc.
As of 2000-2004 all we had to do was the pushups/situps/1.5 mile run PRT once per semester. Outside of Plebe Summer and Sea Trials we never did the Naval Station O-course, and even then there was no requirement to pass it. The course over on Hospital Point (confidence course? endurance course?) was there when I did Summer Seminar in 1999 but had disappeared a year later.
dot- unless it’s changed in the last ear or so, everyone has to pass the prt every semester. and the teams no longer push it until after the season – they now take it at the beginning of their seasons to get it out of the way. there’s no such thing as “validating the prt”.
and so glad you’re willing to judge people with knowing the circumstances, xavier. lot’s of people fail the prt every semester. even varsity athletes. in fact, even hard working kids who work out a lot. i’ve seen it. it’s not like you can walk a 7 minute mile.
at least KN is holding them out until they pass – set’s a pretty clear standard.
I expect that the PRT issue will be mentioned in the pre game warmup for at least the ND game. Let the world see that football is just a part of being a midshipman. Our standards are hign and I’m proud of that. “What percent of the ND team could pass the PRT in early August?” would be an interesting discussion question on TV.
No it wouldn’t. Players don’t pass the PRT every year. I don’t know why people are so spun up over it now.
People are “spun up” (1) because it made the news (2) football season starts in less than one month (3) we now live in a world where the transmission and discussion of meaningless info is the most important part of the daily life of half the population. Mike – how can you be the least surprised about anything that is posted here or on any of the sites you monitor?
Dave, like I said this happens every year. It’s reported every year. The only thing different is what Coach is doing about it.
Mike is correct. Every year some players fail it. This year they were told before they would be sent home and they were. Probably hurts Tate the most because he is young and needed the reps. I got $2 that says Turner plays against ND.
Less than a week until ND and no new posts? C’mon, let’s start talking football!