One day before he was to join the Detroit Lions for the first day of preseason training camp, the Army changed its mind about Lt. Caleb Campbell and decided to send him directly into active duty, rather than allowing him the opportunity to make the NFL team's roster.
Here's the link to the AP story: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-lions-campbell&prov=ap&type=lgns
Needless to say, Campbell wasn't happy about the decision. "Oh yeah, I cried, because I wanted a shot,” Campbell, a seventh-round draft pick of the Lions, told The Oakland Press of Pontiac for a story published Thursday.
I'm sure he is upset. Wouldn't you be? I mean, there's a big difference between earning hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to play football and getting sent to Iraq or Afghanistan and having somebody shoot at you.
While I don't particularly care for the timing of the the about face, those of you who read this blog regularly know that I think it was the right thing to do -- especially in light of a ruling that denied a recent Naval Academy graduate the same chance to play pro baseball after getting drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals.
I'm not sure if the inconsistencies between the Army and Navy policies had anything to do with the reversal on Campbell, a defensive back who was drafted by the Lions in the seventh round this spring. But unless all service academy athletes are afforded the same benefit, it was the only fair thing to do.
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3 comments:
I think they should have grandfathered in graduates and applied the rule to future graduates. However, I've always been supportive of the Army making its own decision and it appears that this was made with their best interests in mind. Therefore, I don't have a problem with it at all.
But remember Campbell wasn't the only one affected by the policy change as three other officers will have to return to active duty.
copy and paste this link from Army:
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/07/army_calebcampbell_072308w/
I don't care if they let these guys play, just as long as the rules are the same for all branches of the military. It wasn't fair to let one branch play and the others go to war.
Whichever way the brass decides to go, there needs to be a uniform policy on this.
Brett,
Several years ago you wrote articles on Senior football players at the Naval Academy. One was about me.
How can I send you a personal note, or at least one that will not get read by the entire blogosphere?
Thank you,
Joe Spencer
USNA 92
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