Most of the news during Paul Johnson?s five years as Navy football coach has been positive as he turned the program from a consistent loser to one that contends for a bowl bid on an annual basis.
That all changed during the offseason as last year?s starting quarterback Lamar Owens went on trial, accused of raping a fellow Midshipmen at Bancroft Hall. He was later acquitted of the rape charge, but convicted on lesser charges.
Johnson said while he paid attention to the trial, it had little impact on the football program as a whole or on the individual players as they prepare to advance to a bowl game for a fourth straight season.
“[I] don?t think it really affected the football program or our guys and the way they approached the season,” Johnson said. “You move on. I learned a long time ago to try and worry about the things you can handle and do something about and let the other stiff go. There wasn?t a whole lot I could have done about that, and certainly they weren?t asking me to handle it. So, you just move on.”
Senior linebacker and co-captain Rob Caldwell said while Owens? rape trial didn?t affect him personally, he does have concerns about how others may now view the Naval Academy; not just as a football program but also as an academic institution.
“It was just a bad situation for everyone,” Caldwell said. “We tried not to talk about it because it was rough subject for the academy and everyone involved.
