U.S. Naval Academy graduate Keenan Reynolds, had a huge hurdle to clear to play football on Sundays.
It wasn't getting drafted.
It was, and is, getting a special permission from the largest, strongest Navy on planet Earth (by far) to not have an immediate commitment and to play football, or coexist the two.
Thursday, The Dan Patrick Show interviewed the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Ray Mabus about the possibility of Keenan Reyniolds getting this exclusive permission.
"I can't think of a better ambassador for the U.S. Navy, or for the U.S. Military, than Keenan Reynolds," SECNAV Mabus beamed. "I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure Keenan gets to do both (play football and serve the Navy)."
Apparently, a main capacity that Reynolds would be serving would be as a recruiter and speaker on behalf of the Navy. In the podcast, SECNAV Mabus describes the process of approving Reynolds for such a status, and said that he is "Confident" that Reynolds will be a Raven come Fall.
The relevant clip of the show is embedded below. Also linked beneath is the entire 1-hour segment; the entire conversation is worth a listen as Patrick asks SECNAV about Top Gun II, having a Big Red Button, and whether he would want to be President of the USA or NFL Commissioner. That answer might surprise you.
As it continues to progress, the Ravens look to surprise opponents with a new weapon of their own in Reynolds. Can this story get any better?