The Navy Midshipmen changed their team motto for the 2019 season from "Load the Clip" to "Win the Day" after concerns were raised about insensitivity toward victims of gun violence.
Chase Cook of the Capital Gazette provided a statement from Naval Academy superintendent vice admiral Sean S. Buck about Friday's decision.
"It is always my priority, part of my mission statement, for the Navy to be a good neighbor," he said. "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.