Keenan Reynolds got offered a chance to play in the NFL when the Ravens drafted him last week. Seeing as how playing professional football is a chance few people get, the star triple option QB seemed to be flying high. But since he is also a midshipman, the chain of command entered into the equation.
Before the draft was even a question, Reynolds signed up for the armed services by entering the Naval Academy. Most mids commit to at least five years of service following graduation from the Annapolis institution.
The question of how to square Reynolds’ commitments to his country with his NFL dreams is the kind of policy question that seems designed to get lost in military bureaucracy. Luckily, sports talk radio is here.
After a debate about the issue earlier this week, Dan Patrick was able to secure an interview with Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus. Fittingly he didn’t have a clear answer about the exact path of Reynolds’ future, but said they could make it work. Mabus also called Reynolds a “sterling individual.”
“I’m confident that we can work something out for Keenan to do both. To serve his country and to play professional football,” Mabus said.
And if you’re thinking it’s just another example football players getting preferential treatment, Mabus said a former baseball and soccer star were also allowed to play in the pros.
