Ex-football player Curry resigns from academy - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Ex-football player Curry resigns from academy

A controversial former Naval Academy football player, who was kept on the team and in school despite having tested positive for smoking marijuana, resigned and left the Yard on Monday, Navy Times has learned.

Midshipman 3rd Class Marcus Curry, the star slotback who was finally dismissed from the football team in early May when he allegedly ran afoul of one rule too many, had told commanders he’d planned to quit after it was clear he couldn’t play anymore, Naval Academy sources said.

Academy spokeswoman Deb Goode confirmed Curry was no longer a midshipman, but she said that privacy regulations meant she “could not discuss the details of any administrative cases.” Goode said Curry was fully, formally out of the Navy.

Asked for comment, Curry sent this response to Navy Times in an online message: “All I have to say is, I left on my own will and was not kicked out nor forced out.”

Curry said he plans to play football this fall for Texas State University, in San Marcos, Texas, home of the Bobcats. The Bobcats play in the Southland Conference of the Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-AA. NCAA rules state that players transferring from Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) schools to FCS schools are eligible to play immediately.

Although she said she could not talk about Curry specifically, Goode did detail the general process midshipmen must go through to withdraw from the academy — which they can do, without penalty, before the first day of their junior year. After that, students who leave or are dismissed from the academy can be billed for the cost of their education.

Goode said that a mid formally notifies his chain of command he wants to leave, and the paperwork makes its way up to the superintendent. The outgoing supe, Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler, told reporters in Annapolis last week that he personally signs off on each departure.

“Each case is processed on an individual basis and may take approximately one to three weeks to complete,” Goode said.

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