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Acting Secretary of Navy reiterates opposition to Navy graduates pursuing pro sports

In an appearance before Congress on Tuesday, acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Harker defended his decision to deny request from two recent Naval Academy graduates to pursue professional sports.

Kinley, who was under contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and performed well at a recent rookie-free agent mini-camp, was the subject of considerable media attention after the news broke. He and Connolly had hoped to take advantage of an existing Department of Defense policy that allows service academy graduates to pursue professional sports.

Kinley applied for a waiver to delay his active-duty service commitment after signing as a non-drafted free agent with Tampa Bay.