It appears the Navy is reversing course. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will apparently allow a waiver for cornerback Cameron Kinley to sign with the Buccaneers and attend Tampa’s training camp, an official told Lucas Tomlinson of Fox News.
Tomlinson reports that an official announcement from the Pentagon will come soon. Kinley had previously been denied a waiver to delay his service commitment, putting the Naval Academy star’s NFL dream on ice. Kinley said at the time he wasn’t giving up on his pro football dream, and it sounds like he won’t have to wait very long. The defensive back appeared to confirm the news earlier Tuesday, tweeting out ‘God’s Plan.’
“Cameron Kinley is an exceptional young man and a shining example of the type of high-character individuals that make our nation’s military the most elite in the world,” the Buccaneers said in a statement at the time of the initial waiver denial. “We appreciate and support the United States Naval Academy’s position with regards to Cameron’s fulfillment of his post-graduate service commitment and remain hopeful that he will one day have an opportunity to also fulfill his dreams of playing professional football.”
That day appears to be coming shortly. Bucs training camp will open in a little over two weeks, on July 24th. Last season Kinley had 26 tackles, five passes defended, and an interception in eight games.
Good for the Navy to change their stance. Best of luck to Kinley!
They can always poach a recruit from the Marines.
why can NFL players do this but Noah Song couldn’t?
Slightly different situation due to timing. The minor league baseball season was cancelled last year. Song may be eligible for release when he completes his flight training which could come soon.
Hopefully he can make the final roster cuts. Would be a whole lot of nothing if he can’t Mae the team. My guess he probably at least makes the practice team. Regardless I’m rooting for this guy!
Awesome news….
I wonder how long Kinley’s maximum allowance would be to delay his service. If by some chance he actually turns out to be a high level player and the Bucs want to re-sign him, would he have to request another waiver this time?
I think that Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo deserves some credit here. He is producing talent from a program that is limited in recruiting that has the pro level looking at multiple players.
Coach Ken Niumatalolo with his 8-0 start and 9 wins VS Army, ……. I hope he gets a promotion and moves up to the next level.
Go Army Beat Navy.
Coach Niumatalolo deserves a huge amount of credit for what he’s been able to do with limited resources. People really don’t understand the difficulty of coaching at a program where top tier athletes just don’t want to go. It’s hard enough at a non-blue chip school, let alone a military academy where a player must finish his degree AND serve in the military afterward. Recruiting is very limited, which is why they’re also locked into a very specific non-NFL playstyle, which also limits recruiting further. Not to mention the more stringent academic and personal conduct standards. Niumatalolo has done very well with these limitations, and hopefully maintains his success and gets recognized for that.