Army orders Lions draft pick Campbell to military duty

Army orders Lions draft pick Campbell to military duty

DETROIT -- Caleb Campbell was a day away from practicing with the Detroit Lions and taking a step toward his dream of playing in the NFL.


"He was issued a helmet, ready to go," coach Rod Marinelli said Wednesday.

Now, Campbell is closer to joining his fellow West Point graduates in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The U.S. Army revised its interpretation of U.S. Department of Defense policy two weeks ago regarding soldiers playing professional sports, requiring cadets to complete two years of active duty before applying for a release. Campbell and the Lions didn't officially receive notice of the change until the eve of training camp.

"It's unfortunate, but it doesn't mean Caleb Campbell's dream is dead. It just means it will be delayed," Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Anne Edgecomb told the Associated Press. "We want to take care of soldiers and dashing their hopes is not what we intend. But it is what it is."

Edgecomb said minor league baseball players Nick Hill and Milan Dinga, former West Point standouts, will be allowed to finish their seasons before eventually joining their units.

"We did an internal review of our policy and found that based on the DOD policy, we needed to adjust our policy," Edgecomb said Wednesday.

Campbell agreed to contract terms, but the seventh-round pick did not sign the deal. The Lions will retain his rights until the 2009 draft, but he will not be eligible to play until 2010.

"Obviously, he's disappointed," said Marinelli, a Vietnam veteran. "But I obviously know what he's about. He got his orders and he's ready to report."

When Detroit drafted Campbell in April, it created a lot of publicity and led to some debate whether it was fair for a cadet to play pro sports while classmates were at war.

"There were a lot of questions. Why is this kid going to be able to pursue this opportunity?" Campbell recalled in April. "I had a lot of guys come up to me. I think initially they were confused. They didn't understand the aspect of this whole situation. But it was never anything vulgar, just a lot of questions, a lot of curiosity from my fellow cadets.

"Now that they understand the policy, they understand how this is going to benefit the Army. Whenever I'm settled in, I will report to the local recruiting station in the area and I will take it very seriously. It's my job in the United States Army. This is how I'm serving my country."

The buzz might have also made the Navy and Air Force bitter because their graduates were playing under different rules under the same Department of Defense directive, which was implemented in 1994, reiterated in 2007 and again just a few days after the NFL Draft.

"The policy has not changed," Department of Defense spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said.

Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter ruled last month that Mitch Harris must serve a five-year active duty commitment. Harris, a 22-year-old pitcher with a 95-mph fastball, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round in this year's draft.

Harris acknowledged being surprised by the ruling because Campbell was being allowed to pursue football while completing his military service as a recruiter and in the reserves.

"Army has redefined the Alternative Service Option to include playing professional sports," Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk has said. "Our coaches are now operating under a significant handicap when recruiting head-to-head with Army. It may not be reflected on the playing field today, but I can guarantee you that it will result in a competitive disadvantage down the road."

The Air Force agreed, saying the academies recruit cadets from the same pool of candidates.

Last month, the Army embraced the advantage.

"The real advantage for the Army is just the amount of publicity we get," Edgecomb said in an AP story published on June 13. "When you think about it, who's the best recruiter for the Navy you can think of? David Robinson. He's called the Admiral, for goodness sake. The attention that we get in our primary demographic to have someone playing sports who's in the Army, that's where (we) in the Army see the advantage in this program."

Before he became a superstar center with the San Antonio Spurs, Robinson served two years of active duty for the Navy after graduating from the academy in the 1980s. He benefited from a policy that allowed him to apply for an early release to pursue "an activity with potential recruiting or public affairs benefit to the Navy and Marine Corps."

In 1986, Navy running back Napoleon McCallum played his rookie year with the Los Angeles Raiders while stationed at the Long Beach, Calif., naval base.

The Army changed its policy on July 8, but it wasn't until July 23 that the Lions received a letter from U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jonathan P. Liba, informing them in writing that Campbell had to cease playing football in order to perform "full time traditional military duties," until at least 2010.

"It's unfortunate that the timing of the new policy is happening at the same time that he was about to begin trying out, but that's not something we planned," Edgecomb said. "But he's been at West Point for four years and he went there to be an officer. What he's accomplished on a football field has been outstanding, but what he'll accomplish as a soldier will be even greater."
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

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This is pretty -ed up.

EDIT: Rest of post deleted - don't want to piss anyone off.

Why?


I am pissed off, too!



This Sucks!

Damn Army!

gs78 wrote:

Why?


I am pissed off, too!



This Sucks!

Damn Army!

If I remember right my original post went on for quite a while and I offered my opinions on all the branches on the armed services and a few other things that might piss people off.

I guess you right


Of Course; I don't care who I piss off with my views


Then Again; I have been banned or suspended from so many forums it ain't funny

LOL. I try not to piss people off whenever possible but every now and then I can't help it.

As for the armed services, while I don't hate servicemen and women or anything like that, I can't say I have any more respect for them than the average person I run into. An example - the last time I was at a Padres game an entire section of the stadium was full of Marines. Between innings they played "The Shores of Tripoli" and the whole crowd stood up and cheered during the song...well almost everyone. I didn't stand nor did I applaud. I wouldn't applaud if they were honoring mail carriers and the service they offer is equally useful.

I don't buy they're keeping me safe - the last international war of any significance fought on US soil was the War of 1812. The US spends more money on defense than just about every industrialized nation in the world. Japan is probably the most successful country in the world right now and they have basically no army whatsoever.

All the money we waste on defense could be put to so much better use...

Well, he knew this could happen, considering he went to West Point! It is an open application to 2 years service! Mostly during war time.

I think Roger Staubach went though something similar at Navy

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

Well, he knew this could happen, considering he went to West Point! It is an open application to 2 years service! Mostly during war time.

That is true. What pisses me off is he was under the impression he'd be able to play if a team wanted him. A team wanted him and now he can't play. Generally you can't get -ed over by new laws ex-post facto but apparently that doesn't apply to the Army.

And the Lions lose the rights to Campbell after 2009, He will come back a war hero, be drafted by another team, and become a superstar in the NFL


Lions Rotten Luck

gs78 wrote:

He will come back a war hero....

or dead at the hands of his own incompetent countrymen.

Isn't That how Pat Tillman died?

gs78 wrote:

Isn't That how Pat Tillman died?

Something like that. But hey, he got a Purple Heart and Silver Star at least

I often wonder if he'd have got that Silver Star if he wasn't a former NFL-er. The Silver Star is awarded for "Gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States". While it's too bad he died, being killed around your own troops doesn't lead me to believe he deserves the third highest award for valor.

I'm surprised they didn't give him the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Who knows?


They might do that