ARMY TELLS CAMPBELL TO REPORT FOR DUTY

[afosomf]

That is your opinion.

Clearly the army thinks he is more valuable as a full-time officer for the next 5 years (particularly during wartime) than as a desk-jockey recruiter after a year or two on the Detroit Lions special teams/practice squad units.

The purpose of West Point Military Academy is to turn bright young people into officers. There are many other colleges & universities that are better options for those with NFL aspirations.

they also wanted to turn around their terrible football program

the air force and navy are way ahead of them

[Sperm Edwards]

they also wanted to turn around their terrible football program

the air force and navy are way ahead of them

It is a great assumption on your part that they want to turn it around at the expense of losing military officers.

[afosomf]

It is a great assumption on your part that they want to turn it around at the expense of losing military officers.

Helllooooooo the airforce and navy do not need officers!!!!

i am also sure that caleb went into army not knowing he would be that good.

[dickkotite]

time to close the thread...........

[Garb]

Helllooooooo the airforce and navy do not need officers!!!!

i am also sure that caleb went into army not knowing he would be that good.

Are you saying that Caleb should be excused from his duties because he's really good at playing football? I think that's a great message to be giving! Nevermind that you made a promise and comitted yourself to something - to heck with that! Something better came along.....

Wow, Assmop!

[afosomf]

Are you saying that Caleb should be excused from his duties because he's really good at playing football? I think that's a great message to be giving! Nevermind that you made a promise and comitted yourself to something - to heck with that! Something better came along.....

Wow, Assmop!

Caleb went into army with idea of becoming officer.. very clear there

then the army decided to let him get drafted and felt they he could serve

the army better thru PR and recruitment and also potentially help

their terrible football program..

then they do a 360 reversal.

you think david robinson would have evah served in Iraq. you are kidding

yourself.

[The Gun Of Bavaria]

Caleb could help the army more by playing in NFL from a PR perspective.

the army also wanted to attract more athletes to its football program as well.

they also wanted to turn around their terrible football program

the air force and navy are way ahead of them

Helllooooooo the airforce and navy do not need officers!!!!

i am also sure that caleb went into army not knowing he would be that good.

Let me ask you this. Do you think someone joined the Navy because David Robinson graduated from the Naval Academy and played for the Spurs? I highly doubt it. Sure Robinson's appointment to the USNA was a little suspect, but Campbell was not this type of case. He wasn't brought in to play football, he was brought in to become a future officer and lucky for the USMA, he could play some good ball.

The process to get an appointment to a service academy is very lengthy, time consuming and at some times, excruciating. You don't just decide your junior year of HS, hey I want to go to West Point. It's something that you've most likely desired for a while and started working towards in 7-8th grade, in the form of classes, extra-curricular activities and other things. If he really thought he would play in the NFL and/or wanted to play in the NFL, why go there, when you can go to USC or UF and bang tan broads all day? The answer is, he didn't, because he wanted to service his nation.

USAF and USN need officers just as much as anyone, but sure, right not signing up to be a USA or USMC officer has a special meaning, because it's all but a eventual ticket to Afghanistan or Iraq. That was something I didn't have to worry about when I signed my ROTC scholarship contract, even though I eventually went to Bosnia and Kosovo. That just shows you the high character that Campbell has, knowingly entering into a path that would take him to a combat zone in the future.

He'll do 2 years and be able to come out I'd imagine. His first 10 months as an officer will be at Officer Basic Course and any other follow on schools, especially if he's branched infantry and goes to airborne and/or Ranger school.

I was in my Field Artillery Officer Basic course with a guy that was drafted by the Bengals. He didn't cry because he knew what he signed up for, just as Campbell did. He made the NFL after 2 years, although didn't stay around too long, but he made it. Campbell will do the same.

[Arsis]

Sorry brothers, but you're not going to get an ounce of sympathy from me, or most likely, any other veteran on this board, The second he signed up for the process, and accepted the appointment to West Point, he knew it came with a 5 year post-graduation committment. There is no denying it, no disputing it. While I was commissioned through ROTC, there is no form of caviat or exception for a student-athlete at USMA, nor should there be. Unlike USC, FSU, UM, OSU and the rest of the football factories, the students at USMA are there for the education and most importantly, to prepare for their future career as an officer in the United States Army. If they can play a sport, and perhaps be really good at it, it doesn't matter. We're in the middle of a war, whether your agree with it or not, and West Point's job since its inception, is to educate, build and generate junior officers. Whatever they do at their 5 year mark is their business, but why should someone with some football talent be any different from any other West Point student? How do you tell a guy, "You're going to Iraq next year, while Campbell is going to play in the NFL"?

Sorry boys, you're all dead wrong in my opinion. He's a second lieutenant, then a football player, not the other way around. If he really wanted to play football while serving his nation as a reservist/national guardsman, he should have went somewhere else and gone ROTC.

I wish him the best of luck with his future Army career.

That's not the point nor the issue. He wasn't skirting his duty or trying to weasel out of duty. He was choosing an option that the army made available to him at the time. Not once did he complain or bitch about this. The only issue here is that they told him he could do it and that it was a valid option for him only to change their minds at the last minute and pull him out of training camp. He was going to be a recruiter and they were going to get publicity from him being recognizable from the nfl. No one is debating the rule change here, it's up to them to not let people play professional sports and I'm all for the rule. I'm against telling a guy he can do something, letting him do it and then changing it around this far after the fact. Don't let the guy get drafted and report to camp before you pull him out. Just say no from the start.

[afosomf]

Let me ask you this. Do you think someone joined the Navy because David Robinson graduated from the Naval Academy and played for the Spurs? I highly doubt it. Sure Robinson's appointment to the USNA was a little suspect, but Campbell was not this type of case. He wasn't brought in to play football, he was brought in to become a future officer and lucky for the USMA, he could play some good ball.

The process to get an appointment to a service academy is very lengthy, time consuming and at some times, excruciating. You don't just decide your junior year of HS, hey I want to go to West Point. It's something that you've most likely desired for a while and started working towards in 7-8th grade, in the form of classes, extra-curricular activities and other things. If he really thought he would play in the NFL and/or wanted to play in the NFL, why go there, when you can go to USC or UF and bang tan broads all day? The answer is, he didn't, because he wanted to service his nation.

USAF and USN need officers just as much as anyone, but sure, right not signing up to be a USA or USMC officer has a special meaning, because it's all but a eventual ticket to Afghanistan or Iraq. That was something I didn't have to worry about when I signed my ROTC scholarship contract, even though I eventually went to Bosnia and Kosovo. That just shows you the high character that Campbell has, knowingly entering into a path that would take him to a combat zone in the future.

He'll do 2 years and be able to come out I'd imagine. His first 10 months as an officer will be at Officer Basic Course and any other follow on schools, especially if he's branched infantry and goes to airborne and/or Ranger school.

I was in my Field Artillery Officer Basic course with a guy that was drafted by the Bengals. He didn't cry because he knew what he signed up for, just as Campbell did. He made the NFL after 2 years, although didn't stay around too long, but he made it. Campbell will do the same.

my point is army F'd this up, why allow him to be drafted then?

[Garb]

Caleb went into army with idea of becoming officer.. very clear there

then the army decided to let him get drafted and felt they he could serve

the army better thru PR and recruitment and also potentially help

their terrible football program..

then they do a 360 reversal.

you think david robinson would have evah served in Iraq. you are kidding

yourself.

Different times, Assmop.

You join, you may actually serve! Holy cow! What a concept!

That is the problem with today's youth. NO FRICKIN' ACCOUNTABILITY!

[Gainzo]

The Army messed up a really good PR opportunity.

CALEB CAMPBELL: NO ONE SAID A THING TO ME

Posted by Michael David Smith on July 24, 2008, 10:43 a.m.

West Point graduate and Detroit Lions seventh-round draft pick Caleb Campbell learned yesterday that he will have to put his football career on hold while he fulfills his military service obligation. And while Campbell isn

[aec4]

Are you saying that Caleb should be excused from his duties because he's really good at playing football? I think that's a great message to be giving! Nevermind that you made a promise and comitted yourself to something - to heck with that! Something better came along.....

Wow, Assmop!

I agree.. He took the free education and all the strings that were attached. Look, if some West Point grad is offered a 1M a year job on Wall St right out of school, he can't take that either.. Just because this is football shouldn't make the situation any different.

David Robinson grew dramatically in college. He was too tall for most Navy ships by time he graduated. I think the Navy had to do something anyway, which is why he got an exception of sorts.

[Bob]

The only BS here is the Army ever telling this guy he could play football, which was a bad move on their part. He got 4 years of world-class education at West Point for free, and in return he signed a contract pledging service to this country. It wouldn't be fair to other West Point grads, let alone troops around the world, to let the guy out of his commitment just because the NFL came knocking.

EXACTLY. I can't believe anybody would think obligations don't apply to this guy because he can play football.

You go to a military academy to become a military officer. The taxpayers fund your education and you serve your country in return.

The End.

[Alk]

Caleb went into army with idea of becoming officer.. very clear there

then the army decided to let him get drafted and felt they he could serve

the army better thru PR and recruitment and also potentially help

their terrible football program..

then they do a 360 reversal.

you think david robinson would have evah served in Iraq. you are kidding

yourself.

Not for nothing but if they do a 360 it's not a reversal. They're going in the same direction they were originally going.

[Alk]

For the love of god, how could this have been some PR move for the Army? They guy was a 7th. round pick and probably wouldn't even have made the team. How's this for PR? "Yeah, he's good enough for the Army but not good enough for the NFL."

[Arsis]

For the love of god, how could this have been some PR move for the Army? They guy was a 7th. round pick and probably wouldn't even have made the team. How's this for PR? "Yeah, he's good enough for the Army but not good enough for the NFL."

they're getting some pretty bad PR now.

[AVM]

For the love of god, how could this have been some PR move for the Army? They guy was a 7th. round pick and probably wouldn't even have made the team. How's this for PR? "Yeah, he's good enough for the Army but not good enough for the NFL."

Actually had a pretty decent chance to make the ST squad, if not the practice squad.

However, the issue here isn't that Campbell is asked to fulfill his duties to the army. He should, and I dont, nor should anyone else have a problem with him being told the army is more important than football.

The problem is, as has been stated several times but ignored, that the army would essentially dangle this option down in from of him, like a twinkie infront of a fat kid. Essentially he finally got the twinkie off the string and the army came in, laughed, and yanked it away from him. It was stupid for them to let it go this far, there's no way around that.

Again, Campbell signed up, and got a free education. It is his duty to serve for the US Army. They were the ones, however, that said he could go the recruiter route and play in the NFL. As far as I can tell through the statements and such in the news, he has not once complained that he has to serve. You guys need to stop acting like he's some spoiled kid, he was just doing what the army offered him. If you were in the army and given this opportunity, 99 out of 100 would have chosen this path as well.

[afosomf]

Different times, Assmop.

You join, you may actually serve! Holy cow! What a concept!

That is the problem with today's youth. NO FRICKIN' ACCOUNTABILITY!

you are offbase here Lms

have you heard this kid complain once!!!!!

Trey wingo was on herd this AM, was at the draft and he stated that this

kid was being applauded by everyone, even guys with pats jerseys on, they

were screaming USA everytime he left to take a piss. In Trey's words

the Army botched the F out of this.

The army had vasts amounts of PR with this kid at their disposal.

who is a major advitiser to NFL games? the US ARMY!!!

just think of all the high quality kids this kid could attract to west poiunt just from city of Detroit.

[Gainzo]

Actually had a pretty decent chance to make the ST squad, if not the practice squad.

However, the issue here isn't that Campbell is asked to fulfill his duties to the army. He should, and I dont, nor should anyone else have a problem with him being told the army is more important than football.

The problem is, as has been stated several times but ignored, that the army would essentially dangle this option down in from of him, like a twinkie infront of a fat kid. Essentially he finally got the twinkie off the string and the army came in, laughed, and yanked it away from him. It was stupid for them to let it go this far, there's no way around that.

Again, Campbell signed up, and got a free education. It is his duty to serve for the US Army. They were the ones, however, that said he could go the recruiter route and play in the NFL. As far as I can tell through the statements and such in the news, he has not once complained that he has to serve. You guys need to stop acting like he's some spoiled kid, he was just doing what the army offered him. If you were in the army and given this opportunity, 99 out of 100 would have chosen this path as well.

Well said.

[Garb]

You bring up a very good point. This is a media driven story and Lord knows what agenda they are trying to push here. Anyway, I take everything ESPN, or what any reporter "reports", with a grain of salt. Bunch of hacks!

[afosomf]

You bring up a very good point. This is a media driven story and Lord knows what agenda they are trying to push here. Anyway, I take everything ESPN, or what any reporter "reports", with a grain of salt. Bunch of hacks!

same media that created a Pats ticker in wk 8 (path to perfection)

[joebabyny]

The only BS here is the Army ever telling this guy he could play football, which was a bad move on their part. He got 4 years of world-class education at West Point for free, and in return he signed a contract pledging service to this country. It wouldn't be fair to other West Point grads, let alone troops around the world, to let the guy out of his commitment just because the NFL came knocking.

Normally I would agree with you, but what if 4 years ago when he accepted the offer to attend West Point he was told of the policy they had to let students who were drafted to the pros out of their military service contract. It seems like this policy was only recently changed this year or this summer, when the kid made his decision the policy was different.

I guess the military academies will now be dropping down to division 3, what top highschool prospects will be willing to come there and play for them if they are locked out of going pro.

Like I said, normally I would agree with you, everyone going into those schools knows what type of education they will be getting for free, and what the real cost is in service afterward, but if a highschool athlete was told that policy was he could get out of service if he went pro, than the rug should not have been pulled out from under him at graduation like this.

[afosomf]

Normally I would agree with you, but what if 4 years ago when he accepted the offer to attend West Point he was told of the policy they had to let students who were drafted to the pros out of their military service contract. It seems like this policy was only recently changed this year or this summer, when the kid made his decision the policy was different.

I guess the military academies will now be dropping down to division 3, what top highschool prospects will be willing to come there and play for them if they are locked out of going pro.

Like I said, normally I would agree with you, everyone going into those schools knows what type of education they will be getting for free, and what the real cost is in service afterward, but if a highschool athlete was told that policy was he could get out of service if he went pro, than the rug should not have been pulled out from under him at graduation like this.

this kids obligation is not going away. even if he makes millions, he will still have to serve and he could still die in IRAQ.

[Arsis]

Normally I would agree with you, but what if 4 years ago when he accepted the offer to attend West Point he was told of the policy they had to let students who were drafted to the pros out of their military service contract. It seems like this policy was only recently changed this year or this summer, when the kid made his decision the policy was different.

I guess the military academies will now be dropping down to division 3, what top highschool prospects will be willing to come there and play for them if they are locked out of going pro.

Like I said, normally I would agree with you, everyone going into those schools knows what type of education they will be getting for free, and what the real cost is in service afterward, but if a highschool athlete was told that policy was he could get out of service if he went pro, than the rug should not have been pulled out from under him at graduation like this.

the kid wasn't getting out of "service" he was getting out of being cannon fodder. There is a difference and there is more than one way to serve. Nothing wrong with recruiters or army doctors or cooks or army shrinks. Those are all people who serve as well. There are different types of service. He choose one of those different types of service from what the army made available to him. Lets not get this twisted and say that he was trying to get out of service here.

[Lil Bit Special]

Not for nothing but if they do a 360 it's not a reversal. They're going in the same direction they were originally going.

[Lil Bit Special]

The problem is, as has been stated several times but ignored, that the army would essentially dangle this option down in from of him, like a twinkie infront of a fat kid. Essentially he finally got the twinkie off the string and the army came in, laughed, and yanked it away from him. It was stupid for them to let it go this far, there's no way around that.

and as its been stated before, the Army will do whats best for the Army. There's no fairness when it comes to the military. You do what you're told to do. I'm sure probably anyone who has served in the military have been jerked around... this is nothing different.

We may not like it, we may not agree with it, but it is what it is. I'm sure they were receiving a lot of internal pressure to not allow him to do this, and thats why they changed their mind.

[joebabyny]

and as its been stated before, the Army will do whats best for the Army. There's no fairness when it comes to the military. You do what you're told to do. I'm sure probably anyone who has served in the military have been jerked around... this is nothing different.

We may not like it, we may not agree with it, but it is what it is. I'm sure they were receiving a lot of internal pressure to not allow him to do this, and thats why they changed their mind.

well, back in 2005 when they implemented the alternative service option for student athletes to give them a way to play pro sports, they probably realized the PR benefit to being able to bring back the army football tradition with top prospects and making these pro drafted athletes work in recruiting stations to draw more people to enlist. I am sure a competitive sports program on national tv and pro athletes working as recruiters at recruitment centers and in promotional media would do a hell of a lot more for the army's cause than just sending one kid over to iraq would do. It doesn't make any real sense, they sounded like they were on to the right idea back in 05.

[slats]

Campbell doesn’t know what the future holds for him, but he thinks he will be assigned to be a graduate assistant with either the Army football team or the West Point Prep School football team this fall.

So there's a possibility that they're keeping him from an opportunity in the NFL so he can coach Army?

They let him get drafted, and let him get all the way to the eve of training camp believing that he'd have a chance to compete in football. Seems to me they could've given him that chance, with the caveat being that the moment his NFL career was done, he'd have to start fulfilling his full obligation to the military. No shirking of responsibility here, just a delay.

As mentioned here, that could be before the end of training camp - and even that would've been a good story for the armed forces. It's a commercial you'd see a couple times every Sunday: "The Army gave me a chance to play in the NFL, but now I have the chance to be all I can be."

[Lil Bit Special]

well, back in 2005 when they implemented the alternative service option for student athletes to give them a way to play pro sports, they probably realized the PR benefit to being able to bring back the army football tradition with top prospects and making these pro drafted athletes work in recruiting stations to draw more people to enlist. I am sure a competitive sports program on national tv and pro athletes working as recruiters at recruitment centers and in promotional media would do a hell of a lot more for the army's cause than just sending one kid over to iraq would do. It doesn't make any real sense, they sounded like they were on to the right idea back in 05.

i dont disagree, but the army will do what the army wants to do. There is no rhyme or reason to what they decide to do. 3 years is a long time, and obviously the people in charge now werent happy with this decision.

[Alk]

they're getting some pretty bad PR now.

Dude nobody gives a $hit. There's not going to be some lost kid coming out of high school saying. "Well $hit!! They screwed that scrub from the NFL over bad. I'm not signing on with them!!" This is a nonissue.

[rillo]

Good Luck...

[Alk]

Actually had a pretty decent chance to make the ST squad, if not the practice squad.

However, the issue here isn't that Campbell is asked to fulfill his duties to the army. He should, and I dont, nor should anyone else have a problem with him being told the army is more important than football.

The problem is, as has been stated several times but ignored, that the army would essentially dangle this option down in from of him, like a twinkie infront of a fat kid. Essentially he finally got the twinkie off the string and the army came in, laughed, and yanked it away from him. It was stupid for them to let it go this far, there's no way around that.

Again, Campbell signed up, and got a free education. It is his duty to serve for the US Army. They were the ones, however, that said he could go the recruiter route and play in the NFL. As far as I can tell through the statements and such in the news, he has not once complained that he has to serve. You guys need to stop acting like he's some spoiled kid, he was just doing what the army offered him. If you were in the army and given this opportunity, 99 out of 100 would have chosen this path as well.

You're making it sound like this was some personal issue against Campbell and the Army. I'm sure the Army wasn't sitting there thinking "We'll show this kid. We'll let him get his foot in the door but not tell him about the bungee cord we have attached to his back that will snatch him right back out that door." The Army needs people and this Campbell kid just happened to be the unlucky one who was there when the hammer dropped.

[afosomf]

Dude nobody gives a $hit. There's not going to be some lost kid coming out of high school saying. "Well $hit!! They screwed that scrub from the NFL over bad. I'm not signing on with them!!" This is a nonissue.

Are you for real?

The PR at stake for ARMY was huge...off the charts!!!

They F'd it up bigtime.

[joebabyny]

Dude nobody gives a $hit. There's not going to be some lost kid coming out of high school saying. "Well $hit!! They screwed that scrub from the NFL over bad. I'm not signing on with them!!" This is a nonissue.

what about the really talented highschool athletes that up until this event thought they could still play pro sports? And what about the athletic programs for the academy now that they won't be getting these prospects? A successful athletic program is HUGE for a school, which means huge for the military. And how valuable is a pro athlete in your marketing material? Go ask the companies that spend hundreds of thousands or millions on athlete endorsements.

[The Gun Of Bavaria]

Not for nothing but if they do a 360 it's not a reversal. They're going in the same direction they were originally going.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA