WASHINGTON ― Daniel Penny, the former Marine acquitted this week for the death of a homeless man on a New York City subway, will be the guest of Vice President-elect JD Vance at Saturday’s Army-Navy football game.
Penny’s attendance adds to what will be a show of force by the incoming Trump administration at the annual sports showdown between two branches of the U.S. military, which will take place at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., outside of Washington.
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to attend the game, where he will meet with Pete Hegseth, his embattled nominee for Defense secretary. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Navy veteran who Trump has considered as a fallback option to replace Hegseth, will also reportedly join Trump as well.
More:Verdict reached: Jury finds Daniel Penny not guilty in NYC subway chokehold case
“Daniel’s a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone,” Vance said in a post on X confirming news reports Penny would be his guest. “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.”
Top U.S. civilian leaders of the military have long attended the Army-Navy game, often considered the greatest rivalry in college football, with thousands of cadets and midshipmen packing the stands. President Theodore Roosevelt began the tradition for commanders-in-chief showing up, dating back to 1901. President Joe Biden is not expected to be there on Saturday, but Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is going, according to Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary.
Retired Army Gen. Mark Milley, whom Trump said in 2023 should be executed for treason, also has plans to attend the game, potentially putting the pair in close quarters for the first time in years. In addition, Sen. Joni Ernst, the Iowa Republican seen as a critical vote for Trump’s choice to lead the Pentagon, is planning to attend.
From Trump’s team, the Washington Post reported Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., the president elect’s pick for national security adviser, is also going to the Army-Navy game.
Penny, 26, emerged as a hero on the right after he was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide last year in the death of Jordan Neely, who died after Penny placed him in a chokehold for six minutes during a May 1, 2023 struggle on the floor of a subway car.
A New York jury Monday acquitted Penny of the charges Monday. Penny’s defense attorneys argued Penny was defending fellow passengers after Neely threatened to kill them. Neely suffered from schizophrenia, was high on synthetic marijuana and was shouting that he was hungry, thirsty and “fed up” seconds before Penny put him in a restraint learned during training with the Marine Corps.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
