New England Patriots rookie Joe Cardona has the most legitimate excuse ever for missing the upcoming season. But he might not need it.
The rookie long snapper, selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of this year’s NFL draft, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in May and now must fulfill his military duty as a Navy officer.
Cardona obviously can’t serve and play for the Patriots at the same time, but his employer apparently is doing everything it can to make sure he can fulfill both goals. According to Sporting News, the Navy is “leaning toward” having Cardona continue his temporary assigned duty at the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, R.I.
Cardona already has attended New England’s organized team activities and minicamp in between working at the school — located less than 60 miles south of Gillette Stadium — and the arrangement would allow the 23-year-old to spend his rookie year with the Patriots before heading off to his first full Navy assignment on a ship based in Maine.
“The opportunity for Joe to show off the kind of person he is, and the kind of person our military academies produce, is something that both Joe and the Patriots can benefit from,” Cmdr. Chris Servello told Sporting News. “And we think that is of some real value to the Navy.”
The Patriots took a gamble by selecting Cardona with his availability still in question, but it appears that gamble might pay off. Cardona currently is listed as the team’s top long snapper on its unofficial depth chart.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@BostonSprtsNews
