New England Patriots’ Joe Cardona promoted to Navy lieutenant
Joe Cardona, an active duty Navy service member and long snapper for the New England Patriots, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant by the U.S. Navy. Drafted by the Patriots in 2015, Cardona has received two Super Bowl rings while balancing his prestigious military career.
New England Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona was promoted by the U.S. Navy from lieutenant junior grade to lieutenant on the 75th anniversary of D-Day on Thursday.
Cardona joined the Patriots before the start of the 2015 season and has played in every game since then. He’s managed to balance his football life with his military career.
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“Congratulations to Lieutenant Joe Cardona on his promotion,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, according to ESPN. “And obviously a day to remember our World War II veterans on D-Day. The 75th anniversary, that's kind of a big one for us. I want to recognize all the things that they did.”
Cardona was drafted out of Navy by the Patriots in 2015. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady also commended Cardona on his promotion.
“It's pretty emotional when you see someone take the oath like that and raise his hand. It's a big commitment Joe's made, and I think Joe has done it very proudly and does a great job educating a lot of us on what it means to him. I think we all appreciate that,” Brady said, adding his teammates were proud of his accomplishments off the field.
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The Patriots selected Cardona in the fifth round of the 2015 draft. He’s received two Super Bowl rings during his time on the Patriots. According to ESPN, he and Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach are the only U.S. Naval Academy graduates to own multiple Super Bowl rings.