Campbell should serve in Army
Caleb Campbell shouldn't be allowed to play in the National Football League.
Campbell has a job: He is a 2nd Lt. in the United States Army. Just because Campbell - a standout on the Army football team last fall - can play ball doesn't mean he should be released from his commitment to the U.S.
Campbell was picked by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of April's NFL Draft. He was all set to join the team. But the Department of Defense reversed an Army policy that permitted athletes to pursue professional careers while remaining on active duty.
Roger Staubach fulfilled his service with the Navy, including a tour in Vietnam, and he became one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. The Navy didn't allow Mitch Harris to begin a pro baseball career after the right-hander was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 13th round of June's MLB draft.
Campbell shouldn't be allowed an out either, even for the NFL. Because, maybe now more than ever, the U.S. needs soldiers with a linebacker's mentality.
posted by Anne Delaney at
5:56 PM
2 Comments:
Why not use a natural recruitment tool for the Army? Caleb Campbell can do more for the Army as a recruiter/recognizable entity than as a grunt out over seas. One man can make a difference to his squad in the Middle East, but has the potential to enrich the entire armed forces if he were to stay here and play football.
If he were to make the Lions, it is conceivable, but not mandatory, that much of his salary would go to military based objectives (recruitment, rallys, or just donations to military hospitals). It's a problem of our government/military being short sighted and considering numbers of the here and now rather than what it can mean for numbers in the future.
Yes better football players may have gone to Army/Navy/Air Force if they thought it could get them into the NFL, but the majority wouldn't make it and would end up serving in the military. Most talented football players are looking to take that next step to the professional ranks, and without that opportunity, most will bypass the military schools. Plenty of football players go to D1 schools and don't make the NFL and have to find "real" jobs. Why can't a football player choose to either go play in the NFL or be an officer in the military?
The amount of new "recruits" at military academy's will outnumber the amount of players they lose to professional sports if they allowed their students to pursue professional sports.
A great shooter will become a sniper to help the military. The same rationale should be used when dealing with different talents that can help in recruitment.
It almost seems as if the military wanted to press/noteriety of Caleb's draft day adventure and as soon as that died down, they reversed their rulings and forced him back into the military. Obviously Caleb had no problems with this and is happy to serve, but it just appears to be a sneaky backhanded ploy by the US Army to get free publicity and keep Caleb in the military.
You have completely missed the point Anne. The reason he should be allowed to DELAY his military service is that Campbell and the Detroit Lions were told that he could delay his service if drafted. The Army basically lied to all teams who inquired about his availability and lied to an Officer. People want Campbell to fulfill his commitment but it should be a two way street. If the Army said he would be available, he should be available.
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