A former UConn quarterback, John McEntee, was fired as President Donald Trump’s personal aide on Monday. McEntee, who is just 27 years old, was fired due to what was initially called an “unspecified security issue:”
President Donald Trump’s personal aide, a former UConn QB known for YouTube trick passes, was reportedly fired due to gambling
Yes, you read that correctly.
”It’s not going to be great for morale,” one White House official said about Mr. McEntee’s departure.
Mr. McEntee was removed from the White House grounds on Monday afternoon without being allowed to collect his belongings, a White House official said. He left without his jacket, a second White House official said.
More news on the firing emerged Thursday:
A background investigation found that McEntee bet tens of thousands of dollars at a time, making him unsuitable for a sensitive position close to the president, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. There was no indication his gambling was illegal, but there was concern that the 27-year-old could be vulnerable to outside influence, the person said.
He’s reportedly taking a job with Trump’s reelection campaign.
Back to the more important fact here — McEntee’s trick shot skills. He played for the Huskies in 2011-12, and on his career, he threw for 2,209 yards and 10 touchdowns. He can also make passes like this while blindfolded!
One of his best outings as a Husky came in 2011 during a game against Western Michigan, when he threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns.
McEntee’s journey to become Trump’s personal aide wasn’t exactly traditional. Just three years ago when he was working as a low-level Fox News employee, he pitched himself to the Trump campaign:
Eager to join the campaign, he searched the internet and found its general mailbox. When no one replied to a series of emails, he sent one more, suggesting the campaign clearly needed someone to answer random emails — him. The pitch worked and he began as a volunteer in August 2015, but was quickly hired as a full-time employee.
More fun facts from the above Politico article I just have to share about McEntee:
- He was once challenged to do 100 pushups in 90 seconds, and he did it.
- McEntee could write Trump’s signature perfectly, and as a practical joke, he would hand staffers notes “signed” by Trump.
- His trick shot video was actually inspired by him wanting to one-up a women’s UConn basketball player’s:
A player on the powerhouse women’s basketball team had recently filmed a trick-shot video and he wanted to shoot a rebuttal. He and a few buddies spent a day and a half filming exotic throws: a blindfolded McEntee threw darts to receivers; he climbed the scaffolding of the practice facility and threw the ball 50 yards into a garbage can; in the basketball arena, he tossed the ball through the hoop from the nosebleed seats; he knocked a water bottle off Teggart’s head from 40 yards away.
McEntee wasn’t the most notable White House firing of the day, though — that goes to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Tillerson didn’t star in any college trick shot videos, but he was in the band at Texas!
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