Daniel Penny has accepted an invitation from fellow Marine Corps veteran and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance to attend Saturday’s Army-Navy game taking place in Maryland.
A New York jury found Penny not guilty on Monday of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Jordan Neely on a New York subway.
On May 1, 2023, Penny, 26, restrained Neely in a chokehold after he threatened to kill passengers on a subway train, according to witnesses.
“Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone,” Vance posted Friday on X.
“I’m grateful he accepted my invitation [to attend the Army-Navy game] and hope he’s able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage,” he added.
Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone.
I’m grateful he accepted my invitation and hope he’s able to have fun and appreciate how much his fellow citizens admire his courage. https://t.co/b4bY0G0EM3
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 13, 2024
CBS News reported that Penny will not only be joining Vance, but also President-elect Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Senator-elect David McCormick of Pennsylvania.
Trump will have a suite at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, home to the Washington Commanders NFL team.
McCormick is a 1987 West Point graduate and Army veteran. Hegseth and DeSantis are Army and Navy veterans, respectively.
The Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy, so presumably Vance and Penny will be rooting for a Navy win.
This year will mark the 125th meeting of the two schools’ football teams in a rivalry dating back to 1890.
On Saturday, @CBSSports will proudly present the 125th Army-Navy Game.
It’s a tradition that will continue for many years to come, following today’s announcement that CBS will remain the home of this historic and revered rivalry through 2038. pic.twitter.com/E0y69kMV7H
— CBS Sports College Football ???? (@CBSSportsCFB) December 9, 2024
Navy leads the series with 62 wins to Army’s 55, with seven ties over the years.
However, No. 19 ranked Army (11-1) has won three of the last four meetings and is slightly favored (6.5 points) to beat Navy (8-3) this year, but given the nature of the rivalry, it’s likely anyone’s game.
The last three meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less, with last year’s coming down to an Army goal-line stand in the closing seconds of the game.
IT CANNOT GET CLOSER.
ARMY STOPS NAVY AT THE GOAL LINE. pic.twitter.com/Lf6d7KHsDR
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 9, 2023
Earlier this fall, Army and Navy were both ranked for the first time since the early 1960s.
Last weekend, Army, which has mostly played as an independent since its football program began, won its first-ever conference title defeating Tulane (9-4) to top the American Athletic Conference.
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