Service academy athletes may be able to delay duty to play pro sports, Trump says
The Trump administration is considering allowing athletes at service academies to delay their active duty service so they can play sports professionally first, President Trump announced in a ceremony honoring the Army Black Knight football team at the White House Monday.
"I'm going to look at doing a waiver for service academy athletes who can get into the major leagues like the NFL, hockey, baseball. We're gonna see what we can do and they'll serve their time after they're finished with professional sports," Mr. Trump told the audience in the White House Rose Garden, giving few details on how such a waiver would work or how it would benefit the military.
"I think it's a great idea, I think it's really fair, too," the president added, generating applause from the audience for the proposal.
It's a big day for sports at the White House, where Mr. Trump presented the Army Black Knights with the Commander-in-Chief's trophy and plans to present Masters champion Tiger Woods with the Medal of Freedom as well. Mr. Trump has praised Woods for his career comeback.
"Congratulations to @TigerWoods., a truly Great Champion," the president tweeted after Woods' victory last month.
But there are lots of other pressing matters in Washington Monday. Democrats want special counsel Robert Mueller to testify, and are threatening to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress. Meanwhile, the Dow plummeted Monday after Mr. Trump threatened to level new tariffs on China while the U.S. and China are negotiating a trade deal.