The United States Navy won’t allow defensive back Cameron Kinley to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Despite the fact waivers can be granted for athletes leaving service academies to go pro, Kinley will be forced to commission as an officer in the Navy instead of entering the NFL with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent of the Naval Academy, according to Adam Schefter. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
US Navy denied undrafted free-agent CB Cameron Kinley’s request to delay his commission to play in the NFL. Kinley is being required to commission into the U.S. Navy as an Ensign.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 7, 2021
Shortly after Schefter broke the news, Kinley confirmed it in a lengthy Instagram post, which you can read below.
View this post on Instagram
“If there is a directive and precedent allowing other service academy athletes to pursue this opportunity, what makes Cameron different,” his agent Ryan Williams-Jenkins asked in a statement released Monday.
You can read the full statement below.
With Bucs rookie Cameron Kinley being denied by the U.S. Navy a waiver to join the Bucs, his agent Ryan Williams-Jenkins issued this statement and quote: pic.twitter.com/hLRQ7dS974
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) June 7, 2021
I have split feelings on this situation. On one hand, it was determined in 2019 that athletes could go pro instead of immediately entering the service.
So, it’s not like Kinley would have been the first guy.
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At the same time, you enroll at a service academy knowing damn well what’s expected of you down the road and it’s not a career in the NFL.
It’s a career serving America. Part of me really wonders if he can’t get a waive because he went undrafted. If the Navy could get a QB or a star receiver on the field in the NFL, then I find it really hard to believe they wouldn’t do it.
View this post on Instagram
However, undrafted defensive backs rarely stick around. The Navy might see it the same way, and because of that fact, Kinley is headed for the water instead of the gridiron.