Marco Rubio Sends Letter To President Biden Requesting NFL Waiver For Cameron Kinley

Cameron Kinley is eventually going to serve in the military, and the Navy cornerback has no interest in sidestepping that duty. But he would like the opportunity to pursue his NFL dreams before taking on his military career.

Plenty of other players have gotten a waiver to allow that pursuit, but Kinley was recently denied that opportunity. Now Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is asking President Joe Biden to grant the waiver in order to give Kinley the time he needs to try and make his "lifelong dreams" come true.

“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, via TheHill.com. “Unfortunately, Mr. Kinley seems to be the exception, and without reason.”

Sure, he's a long shot to make a 53-man roster -- or even a practice squad -- since he went undrafted back in April, but he was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers soon after.

“Mr. Kinley is not seeking to terminate his commitment to the Navy. Far from it. He wishes to promote service to our great nation from one of the country’s largest stages. I implore you to right this wrong,” Rubio said.

“Grant Mr. Kinley’s waiver to play in the NFL, and send a message to future academy graduates that the United States is a country where Americans can follow their dreams and be true to their commitment."

Hopefully this is something that gets resolved soon, as training camp quickly approaches for the Bucs and the rest of the NFL. Allowing Kinley to defer his service could even benefit the Navy, as his story would serve as a marketing campaign for the Navy and for military service in general.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.