Eric Kettani (born March 26, 1987) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

Algerian Algerian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Algeria * Algerian people This article is about the demographic features of the population of Algeria, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, econo ...

origin who is currently a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

. He originally signed with the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in 2009. Kettani is currently the director of MEAK Solutions LLC., which specializes in government contracts.

Early years

Kettani grew up in

Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 1837 and is the site of the movement's first t ...

and attended High School in nearby

Mentor, Ohio Mentor ( ) is the largest city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 47,450 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Mentor was first settled in 1797. In 1876, James A. Garfield purchased a home in Men ...

Lake Catholic High School Lake Catholic High School is a private Roman Catholic secondary school in Mentor, Ohio, United States. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. Demographics The demographic breakdown of the 506 students enrolled for 2019-20 w ...

. At Lake Catholic, Kettani was a three-year letter winner in football and was the News-Herald Player of the Year and the Cleveland Plain-Dealer Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, he was also named First-team All-Northeast Ohio and earned all-state honors.

College career

Kettani attended the

and graduated in 2009. He played for the

Navy Midshipmen football The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) college football. The Naval Academy completed its final season as an FBS independent school (not in a conference) i ...

team from 2006 to 2009. In his last three seasons with the Midshipmen, Kettani rushed 395 times for 2,091 yards, a 5.3-yards-per-carry average, and scored 15 rushing touchdowns.

Professional career

New England Patriots

The

signed Kettani as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

following the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...

, he was later placed on the Reserve/Military list. In 2011, he was signed to the Patriots' practice squad, however he was recalled to the Navy. On February 14, 2012, Kettani re-signed with the Patriots. He was released on August 31 for final roster cuts before the start of the 2012 season, but signed to the team's practice squad again. He was released on September 4.

Washington Redskins

Kettani signed with the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

of the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

on September 11, 2012. He was signed to reserve contract on January 8, 2013. On August 26, 2013, he was waived by the Redskins.

Kansas City Chiefs

Kettani signed with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

on December 24, 2013. The Chiefs released him on May 12, 2014.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kettani was signed to the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

practice squad on September 23, 2014. He became a free agent after the 2014 season.

Second stint with Patriots

On August 4, 2015, Kettani's agent announced that he had re-signed with the Patriots. The Patriots released Kettani on August 24, 2015.

Military career

After serving three years under the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, Kettani negotiated a deal with the

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

to allow him to serve seven years in the Naval reserves doing public-affairs work while simultaneously pursuing a career in the NFL in 2012. On June 3, 2013, he was promoted to the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

from his previous rank of

lieutenant junior grade Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies. United States Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), is ...

. He had his pinning ceremony at Redskins Park, where head coach

Mike Shanahan Michael Edward Shanahan (born August 24, 1952) is a former American football coach, best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. During his fourteen seasons with the Broncos, he led ...

and running back coach Bobby Turner were chosen to help pin Kettani's new lieutenant bars on his uniform, along with his father. He initially served his Navy Reserve obligations at the Pentagon for the Chief of Naval Information (CHINFO) where he served as a Public Affairs Officer until May 2015. Served at Navy Community Outreach (NAVCO) in Millington, Tennessee. as Public Affairs Officer and performs other duties at the Naval Academy, where he was a student. LT Kettani last served at NTAG Ohio River Valley Recruiting District (TAOC Cleveland).

Personal life

Kettani is an avid professional painter and has sold paintings to the likes of

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

Robert Kraft Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, ...

, and

Lee Brice Kenneth Mobley Brice Jr. (born June 10, 1979), known professionally as Lee Brice, is an American country music singer and songwriter, signed to Curb Records. Brice has released five albums with the label: '' Love Like Crazy'', '' Hard to Love'', ...

, as well as others.

References

External links

Official website

New England Patriots bioWashington Redskins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kettani, Eric 1987 births Living people American football fullbacks Navy Midshipmen football players New England Patriots players American people of Algerian descent People from Kirtland, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Jacksonville Jaguars players