A New York City subway rider who was acquitted this week of killing a homeless man during a confrontation on a train has joined US President-elect Donald Trump as a guest of honour at a popular American sporting event.

Daniel Penny, who became a conservative cause celebre, was pictured attending the Army v Navy American football game near Washington DC with Trump and Vice-President-elect JD Vance.

Ahead of the game, Ohio Senator Vance said in a post on X that he was “grateful” Mr Penny, a former US Marine, had accepted his invitation to be in Trump’s suite on the Army side.

A jury cleared Mr Penny of criminally negligent homicide on Monday for using a fatal chokehold to restrain Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man, who had been shouting at other passengers and asking for money, last year.

The Army v Navy game is an annual fixture that marks the end of the college American football season and is the final game of the season’s Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy series.

It is one of the great American sporting rivalries, representing the fierce competition between two branches of the US Armed Forces.

In a photo taken from outside Trump’s suite in Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, on Saturday, Mr Penny could be seen talking with Trump and Vance.

Speaking about Mr Penny’s acquittal earlier this week, Vance said this week on X that Mr Penny was “a good guy, and New York’s mob district attorney tried to ruin his life for having a backbone”.

The incoming vice-president added that it was “a scandal” that New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg ever prosecuted the case.

Mr Neely’s death, and the subsequent trial, became a flashpoint, with some accusing Mr Penny of being a vigilante, while others defended him, arguing he was looking out for other passengers’ safety.

Mr Penny’s lawyer, Steven Raiser, said in a statement that his client was honoured by the invitation to Saturday’s game.

“He’s not viewing it as a political statement. He’s viewing it as just basically an honour,” Mr Raiser told Reuters news agency.

“If it were a president in office who was a Democrat, who invited him to the Army-Navy game as a way to show support to the military and for his country, he would have gladly accepted that as well.”

Also at the game was Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick for defence secretary, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has recently been rumoured to be in the running to replace Hegseth, should Trump withdraw the offer.

Hegseth’s nomination has come under intense scrutiny amid questions about his qualifications and personal conduct.

Trump’s nominee to be director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, his nominee to be director of the FBI, Kash Patel, Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump ally Elon Musk were also at the game.

Mr Penny’s not-guilty verdict earlier this week came after prosecutors agreed to drop a more serious charge of second-degree manslaughter, as Manhattan jurors could not reach an agreement.

He has said he never intended to kill Mr Neely, who had a history of mental illness.

The May 2023 subway incident sparked protests across New York and reignited debates over public transportation safety and how the city cares for those struggling with mental health issues and homelessness.

Attention will now turn to a civil lawsuit filed by Mr Neely’s father, who is seeking damages for alleged civil assault and battery.

Mr Penny’s lawyer previously described that legal action as a distraction.