The Department of Defense issued new policy guidelines that will allow service academy athletes to pursue professional sports careers immediately after graduation instead of first requiring two years of service.
The Air Force Academy confirmed the change Monday, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported.
Policy had previously mandated service academy graduates to serve 24 months on active duty before they were eligible to be placed on reserve status to pursue a career in professional sports.
The shift made in May 2016 now allows service members to immediately be placed on reserve and "satisfy their commissioned service obligation in the Ready Reserve."
Though requests to be immediately placed on reserve duty will be decided on a case-by-case basis, the change is expected to help academies with recruitment since they will now be able to bring on players who have professional sports ambitions.
Keenan Reynolds, the Naval Academy’s former record-breaking quarterback, helped drive the change after he was picked in April by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the NFL draft.
"Go get ‘em," Defense Secretary Ash Carter told Reynolds during the Naval Academy’s graduation just before the Department of Defense issued the policy change.
