Last-minute decision by Air Force means star wide receiver will have to wait to turn pro

Wide receiver Jalen Robinette #9 of the Air Force Falcons catches a long pass for a touchdown during first half action against the Boise State Broncos on Nov. 20, 2015 at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.

In a stunning shift before the start of the NFL draft, the Air Force decided it would not allow athletes from the Academy defer two years of active duty and immediately join a professional sports team upon graduation.

The news is a blow to Jalen Robinette, Air Force’s all-time leading receiver who spent nearly a year preparing mentally and physically for the draft with the expectation he would be selected in the final four rounds Saturday. But in the wake of the policy change, he was not drafted at all.

“The Air Force notified Academy officials (Thursday) that the service would not approve requests to waiver active duty military service commitments for cadet athletes,” the Academy said in a statement. “Cadets will be required to serve two years active duty prior to entering Ready Reserve status, which would permit their participation in professional sports.

“The Air Force places tremendous value on our cadet athletes and their contributions to the nation as we continue to build leaders of character, engage in combat operations overseas and continue to ensure our highest military readiness at home.”

In 2016, the U.S. Department of Defense revised its pro sports policy to allow graduates of service academies to apply for the ready reserve so they could sign with professional sports teams after graduation instead of delaying their start to fulfill their active-duty commitment. But their applications had to be approved on a “case-by-case basis” and there was no guarantee a commitment would be deferred.

Not all were in favor of the changes at the service academies, where tuition is taxpayer-funded.

“They exist to instill young men and women with a mind-set of selfless service to the country,” retired Army lieutenant colonel Tom Slear wrote in The Washington Post last June. “There is no other justification for the significant public expense that supports them. Professional football, on the other hand, is about service to oneself. It has its place, but not for academy graduates who haven’t fulfilled their obligations to their fellow citizens. Each time one of them leaves early, the ethos diminishes a bit, and the taxpayers are cheated.”

Although the Department of Defense’s policy has not been altered  — no new order has been signed — Air Force will not approve deferral requests.

The AFA’s stance means Robinette will likely follow the path of service academy athletes before him who were required to immediately fulfill two years of active duty before joining a pro team. After those two years, a graduate could then be considered for reserve status to pursue pro sports.

Former Air Force graduate and current Atlanta Falcons lineman Ben Garland was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2010 and was placed on the reserve/military list while he fulfilled his two-year commitment. He rejoined the team in 2012 and continued his service with the Colorado Air National Guard in the offseasons.

The new DOD policy was expected to open the recruiting opportunities for Air Force and the other service academies. No longer would they be competing with most other programs that don’t require a two-year delay for athletes to go pro.

For Robinette, the change after his junior year altered his hopes and plans for the future.

“The Academy, it’s rigorous and we require a certain type of person,” Robinette said in February. “It’s not for everyone. It takes a leader and a consistent person to be successful at the academy. But having the opportunity to play football after that, it’s icing on the cake.”

Robinette spent the winter taking six courses to complete his degree while also training in Centennial to prepare for the NFL draft. By April, he hoped to be an NFL player. By May, he planned to be an Air Force grad.

Now, he could be prompted to change course yet again. His career as a pro football player may not lift off until 2019 — at the earliest.

“You’re out of your mind if you think I’m gonna let someone else hang up my cleats,” Robinette tweeted Saturday evening. “Momma raised me better than that.”