Army orders Lions' Campbell to withdraw
ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) - July 24, 2008 "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."