It was about three weeks ago when Paul Carothers, a Navy freshman linebacker from Gwinnett County, suffered a tremendous loss when his father was killed.
Saturday, Carothers will be "excited and pumped" as part of the kickoff return team for the traditional game vs. Army (3 p.m. Saturday, CBS), according to the Baltimore Sun.
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo promoted Carothers, who played at Greater Atlanta Christian School, as a way to lift his spirits after his father, U.S. Marshal Patrick Carothers, was shot to death while serving a fugitive with a warrant in Long County.
“Paul is one of our brothers, and we thought this might be a way to help him heal,” the coach said. “Paul is actually a really good special teams player, but it was also our way of trying to help him through a very traumatic deal.”
“I believe there were a lot of guys who could have done this,” Carothers told the Sun, “but the coaching staff trusted me with this job, so I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”
The Midshipmen previously had rallied around Carothers after his father’s death on Nov. 18. The team wore helmet stickers bearing his fathers’ initials for their game against East Carolina, and they stickers have remained.
Carothers' family ties run deep in Gwinnett. His mother works at GAC, two siblings attend there, and the school had a memorial servicefor his father on Nov. 26.
Promoting Carothers in the Navy lineup is about more than support. The coach thinks he has a good future.
“This kid can play,” Niumatalolo told the Sun. “This isn’t one of those deals where we’re putting someone out there that can’t handle it. He is one of our best young linebackers. We think he’ll do a good job.”
Carothers is trying to focus on football Saturday.
“I’m pretty distracted right now with academics, the military stuff and football. Right now, I’m putting my emotions to the side and focusing on getting the job done,” he said.
“That’s how my father brought me up, to never freak out. He would say, ‘You’re a Carothers and Carothers never quit.’ So I have to keep moving forward with a lot of support and love from family and friends.”
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