West Point cheerleaders made out with each other for football recruits aboard party bus: Report

Lurid new details have emerged about questionable recruitment practices at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where prospective football recruits were taken by a VIP party bus to a bowling alley, offered drinks and watched as two cheerleaders made out with each other.

The school has acknowledged the claims, which were first outlined in a news article published by The Gazette of Colorado Springs Sunday.

Officials at West Point said the academy self-reported the recruitment violations to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, disciplined 20 cadets and reprimanded two officers, along with football coaches, for promoting underage drinking.

The wild, alcohol-soaked road trip took place back in January when 14 recruits boarded a party bus along with members of the football team and two cheerleaders, and headed down to the Palisades Mall in New York.

The bus — with a "club-like" atmosphere — made a pit stop at a bowling alley equipped with a bar, where the players and prospective recruits reportedly consumed large quantities of alcohol. 

At some point during the trip, two cheerleaders began making out with one another, and also kissed a football player and one of the recruits.

In addition to the boozy ride, the NCAA learned from the internal report that cheerleaders and female cadets had been set up as "dinner dates'"for prospects — a claim that has been disputed by Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr.

West Point spokesman Theresa Brinkerhoff said the academy did not publicly detail the incident at the time because it was handled "administratively," the New York Daily News reported.

The players involved, among them Army starting quarterback Angel Santiago, are expected to play against the Air Force Academy at West Point's Michie Stadium on November 1.

The specific punishments for the officers, players and coaches have not been revealed, but no football players were kicked off the Army team, nor were any suspensions announced.

Brinkerhoff told the NCAA two members of the football staff had been removed from team activities for a week following the incident.

Government shutdown could halt Air Force-Navy game

College football may end up being penalized because of the narrow-minded stubbornness of politicians in Washington, D.C. and their own little game on Capital Hill.

Air Force associate athletic director Troy Garnhart confirmed to the Capital Gazette that there “is a possibility” the game against Navy in Annapolis may not be played Saturday due to the government shutdown.  The Gazette wrote “upper-class cadets at the Air Force Academy are considered military personnel, which means they could be subject to travel restrictions under the shutdown.”

An email seeking comment from Navy on the possibility of the shutdown forcing the postponement/cancellation of the game between the two service academies has yet to be returned.

The paper reports that there should be some clarity regarding the game and if it will go off as scheduled later on today.

The longest government shutdown came in 1995 and lasted 21 days.  The good news for Air Force is that they don’t have another road game scheduled after this weekend until a Nov. 8 trip to New Mexico. Experts say this shutdown could last for weeks.

One thing that isn’t clear, and what we’re attempting to clarify, is whether Army and Navy upperclassmen fall into the same category as the upper-class cadets at the Air Force Academy.  If so, the shutdown could impact a handful of those games in the next month: Army at Boston College this Saturday; Army at Temple Oct. 19; Navy at Duke Oct. 12; and Navy at Navy at Toledo Oct. 19.