{"id":19695,"date":"2019-06-26T16:57:02","date_gmt":"2019-06-27T00:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/trump-orders-rule-allowing-military-academy-grads-to-defer-service-to-play-pro-sports\/"},"modified":"2019-06-26T16:57:02","modified_gmt":"2019-06-27T00:57:02","slug":"trump-orders-rule-allowing-military-academy-grads-to-defer-service-to-play-pro-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.info\/content\/trump-orders-rule-allowing-military-academy-grads-to-defer-service-to-play-pro-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Orders Rule Allowing Military Academy Grads To Defer Service To Play Pro Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Bobby Allyn<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n Keenan Reynolds (center), Baltimore Ravens’ sixth round NFL draft pick, carries his diploma during the Naval Academy’s graduation in May 2016. Trump’s order on Wednesday would allow more military graduates to defer service in order to pursue professional sports careers.<\/p>\n

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Patrick Semansky\/AP<\/p>\n

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Patrick Semansky\/AP<\/p>\n

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President Trump is ordering<\/a> the Pentagon to rewrite a rule allowing athletes to delay mandatory active service in order to play professional sports directly upon graduation. <\/p>\n

“These student-athletes should be able to defer their military service obligations until they have completed their professional sports careers,” Trump wrote in a presidential memorandum issued on Wednesday. <\/p>\n

Under existing Department of Defense policy, those enrolled in military academies cannot play sports before serving at least two years in the armed forces. <\/p>\n

That requirement, Trump wrote in his memo, deprives some student athletes of “a short window” they have to take advantage of their athletic talents. <\/p>\n

During the Obama administration, military academy athletes were able to go right into sports after graduating if they were granted reserve status. But last year, Trump’s own Defense Department revoked<\/a> that policy. <\/p>\n

“Our military academies exist to develop future officers who enhance the readiness and the lethality of our military services,” Pentagon officials wrote<\/a> in May 2017 announcing rescinding the Obama-era policy. “Graduates enjoy the extraordinary benefit of a military academy education at taxpayer expense.” <\/p>\n