Good morning West Texans and all you good, fine, friendly folks out there who wish you were . . .
YOU’RE IN THE ARMY NOW, MR. CALEB CAMPBELL
The story of West Point graduate and Detroit Lions 7th Round pick Caleb Campbell is making a lot of news this week, and rightfully so. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3502211 In short, the Army has revisited regs that now require Campbell to serve at least two years of active duty before being allowed to play football in the NFL.
I’m going against a lot of national media types, including ESPN’s Colin Cowherd, when I say I back the Army on this one. Could he be a recruiting tool? Sure, but that’s not his job. His job is to be a soldier and soldiers follow orders. Cowherd bemoaned how “rigid” the military can be. Well, ya, it’s rigid because it has to be. If every individual were allowed to pursue any individual whim, dream or desire they had while serving I doubt there’d be many folks in Afghanistan and Iraq right now.
Mr. Campbell signed up for this. He doesn’t seem to have a problem fulfilling his obligation so I don’t see why a bunch of folks that aren’t involved are crying about a soldier going off to be a soldier. It didn’t seem to hamper Ted Williams and Roger Staubach with their careers and I don’t think it will hurt Caleb Campbell either.
Could the Army use Campbell to recruit others? Sure. But what message does it really send if they do that? That you can sign-up, commit to the Army, be prepared to serve you country in a time of war, but if you’re really good at something else will let you out of it and send someone less talented in a sport to take your spot. That’s not what the men and women serving our country right now stand for and I doubt it’s how Mr. Campbell would want to be remembered.
I salute Campbell for his service and for his sacrifice.
MORE LATER
HYATT
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Good point. Agreed.
The Army should have said that to begin with and everything would have been fine. All though I agree with their stance.
However, the main thing to me, is that this is not the main topic on tonight’s show. That is all that any national show has talked about. Caleb is going to be coaching football either at Westpoint or at a prep school for the next six months instead of being cut by one of football’s worst franchises.
Ryan, I think you’re missing the point of much of the criticism being leveled at the Army. Bottom line, the Army changed the rules on this kid in mid-stream. Bobby Ross recruited him to West Point under the premise that, when the Army announced that cadets who were drafted to a professional sports league could fulfill their commitment while playing in the league, the Army actually meant it.
Now, the rules have been changed in mid-stream on this kid, and nobody on the West Point campus had the decency to tell the kid to his face while he was there for most of July. That’s what my Army POW grandfather would have called “chicken shit.”
Bravo for this kid for being more of a man about it than his superior officers.
You’re in the Army.
Shit happens.
Hyatt
Army says sorry you can’t play for the Lions even though we told you go get drafted and we will let you recruit in Metro detroit.
Sorry Caleb, we changed our mind but you can coach next year !
Thank God these decision makers in the Army aren’t in Iraq or Afghanistan.