Navy Changes “Inappropriate and Insensitive” Motto Following Capital Gazette Shooting

The Navy Midshipmen football team has decided against using the team’s motto “Load the Clip” for their 2019 season because it is “inappropriate and insensitive” to those affected by the mass shooting at the Capital Gazette last year.

According to The Capital, senior captains for the Midshipmen decided on the original motto, but after the publication questioned Navy officials about the slogan, the captains decided on the change.

Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck said in a statement, “The bottom line is, we missed the mark here. The initial internal football team motto selected, ‘Load the Clip,’ was inappropriate and insensitive to the community we call home, and for that, I take responsibility for and apologize to not only the Capital Gazette but the entire Annapolis community.”

The team’s new team motto is “Win the Day.” Coach Ken Niumatalolo told The Capital last month that he was “leery” of the initial slogan, but understood where the players were coming from.

“Clearly it’s a metaphor that speaks to the fact we’re going to battle every weekend, and when you go to battle you need to have enough ammunition,” Niumatalolo said. “It means you have to be prepared for the fight, and that is a process that happens every day.”