Sen. Marco Rubio (R.-Fla.) wrote to President Biden on Sunday asking the commander in chief to grant a waiver that would allow Naval Academy graduate Cameron Kinley to play in the NFL, the Hill reports.
The big picture: Rubio's letter comes after the Navy denied Kinley's request to delay his service in order to potentially play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- As of now, Kinley is required to report for duty on June 28 before intelligence school starts in October, which would last for six months before his duty station assignment, per ESPN.
- Rubio's letter cited examples of previous administrations, which have assisted athletes in the armed forces in delaying their service to seek a professional sports career.
- “In years past, the U.S. Department of Defense has issued many waivers to allow athletes to temporarily delay their service to our nation to pursue their professional sports dreams,” Rubio wrote. “Unfortunately, Mr. Kinley seems to be the exception, and without reason.”
This is wrong.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) June 19, 2021
I will be asking @POTUS to intervene so Cameron Kinley can pursue his NFL career before he begins his service commitment.
I also intend to ask the nominee for Secretary of the Navy to commit to this. https://t.co/HFHoYizKTv