It was one of the most interesting stories around the NFL draft -- Army safety Caleb Campbell taking advantage of a new rule which would allow him to defer his service in order to play football. When the Lions drafted him in the seventh round, he got a standing ovation.Much talk ensued about whether or not Campbell should be allowed what some considered privileged status while his classmates were going to have to serve as usual, but it's all moot now; the Army has rescinded the opportunity, and Campbell must temporarily forfeit his dream.
Campbell will have to fulfill his service to the Army, and may apply for a release, freeing him for a career in football, in May 2010. There is yet to be an explanation or statement regarding the change in policy, but I hope this part of the story doesn't fade away. Regardless of your political leanings, the Army received a lot of good publicity for allowing Campbell to play, and at the very least they should face equal attention while being forthright about why they've apparently changed their minds on the eve of his first training camp.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-23-2008 @ 5:08PM
soulcitysigma1914 said...
he's not the only army cadet with a dream outside of the military. I don't think he deserved special treatment and i feel the army did the right thing here
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7-23-2008 @ 6:25PM
Gina said...
I agree, but it does seem odd that they would change their minds now.
7-23-2008 @ 6:47PM
Patrick said...
Sorry, but he should have not signed up for the Army if he wanted to play football.
It seems to me that if he signed on for a commitment to the Army and the education that he received from the Army, then he should do his time as he was committed to completing.
Can anyone fulfill any type of obligation in this world today?
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7-23-2008 @ 7:07PM
Paul said...
Pretty crap move on the Army's part. Be hard to ask a guy to make a sincere commitment to the armed forces when the Army can't maintain a commitment to its own rules. And to yank it all away from him at the last minute too? Tacky, man.
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7-23-2008 @ 10:25PM
mark hamming said...
What a punk move by the Army. Take the glory from all the
free press and yank it away without a word. Do you think any
team would have used a pick if they would have known that?
Punk
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7-24-2008 @ 12:01AM
George B Vieto said...
The Army did the right deal. I am sure that Caleb will want to leave the Lions after this season.
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7-24-2008 @ 12:22AM
Matt said...
I went to West Point with Caleb and I spent several weeks in the field with him and the rest of the Army football team. While I think he is a great guy and a pretty good ball player, he took the same oath that all the rest of us did. He should be held to the same standard the Army holds the rest of the class of 2008. The thing is, however, that West Point and the Dept. of the Army have made football a large priority- in large part due to the effect a successful program could have on recruitment. West Point throws away thousands upon thousands of dollars on their football program; its almost embarrassing. Now I dont doubt that Caleb playing in the NFL could help boost recruitment for West Point and the Army BUT no breaks were given to us cadets at West Point and as cadets we were always taught to do things by the book regardless......so if the Army were to go ahead and cut him loose- they would in spirit be violating the strenuous teachings they so painstakingly hammered into us. Thus, as a West Pointer; I am disgusted. Both in the Army and in Caleb for ever even going down this road.
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7-24-2008 @ 7:32AM
BlueStarDude said...
I agree that the Army shouldn't have given him special privileges in the first place. BUT now that they had granted him an early release, it's an awful thing to rescind it. No one should have the right to just jerk people around like that.
Is it just me or is this another example of the ineffectual and indecisive leadership of the US military?
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7-25-2008 @ 11:40AM
wingman said...
Maybe both the service academies and pro-sports need to look at how they recruit their upcoming "star athletes". There should be a provision if a player is drafted from a service academy, they cannot start their athletic career until they have served at least two years of post-academic federal active military service (that is the time from when they finish their basic branch officer training)
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