Army Trolls Navy In Clever Video Before Big Game; Can Cadets Back Up Talk?

If you’re 14 or younger, you’ve never seen Army beat Navy in football.

But while the Cadets haven’t defeated the Midshipmen on the field since 2001, they’re still bringing the heat off it. Army upped its trash talk Thursday ahead of the 117th meeting of the service academies by producing a Facebook video starring the Secretary of the Army himself, Eric Fanning.

There’s a lot going on here, but here’s Fanning’s best burn: That there’s been a highly classified “presidential gridiron directive” in place for the last 14 years that requires Army to lose to Navy on purpose to “preserve the morale of the Navy” and “prevent (the Navy’s) inevitable service envy.”

The spoof claims that directive will be lifted Saturday at M&T Bank Field in Baltimore, allowing the Cadets to snap their 14-game losing streak.

Joking aside, Army might have a fighting chance in this one after posting its first winning season (6-5) since 2010. The Midshipmen enter at 9-3 after losing the American Athletic Conference championship to Temple, but judging by this post from the Secretary of the Navy, they’re still as confident as ever.