Who Put the Kibosh on Caleb Campbell’s NFL Dreams?
NFL July 24th. 2008, 11:50am
As the Detroit Free Press noted, the US Army allowed Caleb Campbell to go to the scouting combine, the NFL draft, Lions rookie camp and mini-camp. The press reacted accordingly, lapping up every moment of Campbell’s uplifting story. And then, a day before practice … the rug came out from under him.
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.
So did this revision suddenly come about because the Navy and Air Force bitched that their athletes – such as baseball phenom Mitch Harris – were playing by different rules? Last night, Campbell took the high road, saying, “I’m a soldier first and foremost and I go where they order me to go.” His solider is not to be confused with Kellen Winslow’s version.
This morning, Campbell went on the Dan Patrick show and hinted something nefarious might be afoot: “It wasn’t West Point’s decision to pull its policy … it was much higher than West Point, like Capitol Hill stuff … I don’t know if it was Capitol Hill, but it was much higher than West Point. If a three-star general can’t get it turned around …”
The Lions will receive no compensation for their 7th round draft pick.
Caleb Campbell, ‘I was left in the dark.’ (Deadspin)
100 Responses to “Who Put the Kibosh on Caleb Campbell’s NFL Dreams?”
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July 24th, 2008 at 11:54 AM
So Millen has gone from drafting pieces of shit who can’t play well to drafting kids who might be good, but aren’t even allowed to play. Progress.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:55 AM
I always loved the twisted logic that Campbell wold still be serving as a recruiter by playing in the NFL:
Hey kids, sign up for the Army and maybe you won’t actually have to serve in the Army!
wtf?
July 24th, 2008 at 11:55 AM
I feel bad for the kid. If they want to reverse the policy again, that’s fine, but he shouldn’t be jerked around like this.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:56 AM
August and Roeth both well said and exactly how I feel.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:56 AM
the bitch of it is theyre taking him back to make him a football coach, that makes alot of fucking sense
July 24th, 2008 at 11:56 AM
Also, I think something like 10% of West Point grads actually see field combat so it isn’t like this kid is going to be in the shit or anything…
July 24th, 2008 at 11:57 AM
I am sure Mr. Campbell is honored and eager to serve our great country. The NFL can wait.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:58 AM
this is so wrong on so many levels.
July 24th, 2008 at 11:59 AM
as an assistant football coach …
July 24th, 2008 at 12:00 PM
I’ve got no problem with making them serve their term, but to retroactively suck him back in is kind of shitty. At the time of the draft it wasn’t an issue, but now it is. Used to be in the military and this is fairly normal shit though.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:01 PM
“I’m a soldier first and foremost and I go where they order me to go.€
Did they order him to go on the Dan Patrick Show and start making allegations? His actions don’t seem to match his words.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:02 PM
I think some of the problem here is that when these guys sign up for West Point they do know that they have an obligation to serve. I think he was given hope and it was ripped out from underneath him. That makes this shitty.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Seriously a 7th rounder? His chances of making the team were slim-to-none anyway. He wouldn’t even qualify for a buy-out of his military service with 7th round money.
And yes, they had a buy-out at least back when I was in the 90’s. I knew a guy who inherited a few million and paid off 3yrs service to be free.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:03 PM
sweet job again, George. What a fuckin asshat.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Also, I think something like 10% of Miami grads actually see field “combat“
July 24th, 2008 at 12:05 PM
sucks for Caleb
July 24th, 2008 at 12:05 PM
im not so sure, after teasing him for months.
i actually blame the navy/Air Force, who i think (guess – i have zero backup) had a major hand in changing hte policy
July 24th, 2008 at 12:05 PM
i botched that pretty badly. anyway, kellen winslow’s type of soldier see field “combat” a lot more often.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:06 PM
Guys, this is the military… they’re justified in not really giving a shit about being ‘fair’ and ‘nice’ about one of their voluntarysoldiers’ term of service.
You buy the ticket, you take the ride. We should still be extremely grateful for his work with the Army, regardless of how dangerous /glamorous/insignificant it is or isn’t, just as we should be grateful to all veterans of war and peace time.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:06 PM
i blame the jews
July 24th, 2008 at 12:06 PM
It’s too bad for him but he’s running the risk of making things a lot worse for himself if he gets into the conspiracy stuff. Making accusations against your employer usually isn’t a good idea but when your employer is the military, good luck.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:07 PM
i blame the jews
Finally, somebody willing to say it like it is!
/sincere
July 24th, 2008 at 12:07 PM
Because I’m sure he sat up all weekend personally thinking of a way to get Caleb Campbell back into the service of the military. I would guarantee that he not only doesn’t know who Campbell is, but he doesn’t know a thing about the DOD policy.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:08 PM
Who Put the Kibosh on Caleb Campbell’s NFL Dreams?
He can still dream, can’t he?
July 24th, 2008 at 12:08 PM
thats great, your grandfathers a nazi
July 24th, 2008 at 12:09 PM
It is just a bad move PR wise for the Army to come in after the fact and tell this kid he has to go back. Especially being that he was drafted by the Lions and Detroit would have been an excellent place for the army to recruit.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:10 PM
*fixed for clarity
July 24th, 2008 at 12:10 PM
roger staubach was a tenth round pick
July 24th, 2008 at 12:10 PM
i hope everybody gets that the sincere tag is always ironic… I have no problem with the imaginary guy’s chosen people.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:10 PM
And what a big swing and miss for the military…..if they had allowed this rule to go through, I would think it would raise their profile among top athletes so they would get more top line recruits as opposed to “also rans” or seriously driven military folks.
If the student athlete is good enough to make it to the pros, he goes pro. If he doesn’t make it to the pros than the armed forces now has a top notch physical athlete to serve our country and the kid has a full education to boot.
As it stands now, top athletes will continue to not enroll in military academies, they will go to universities and not get their degrees and not turn pro…..
July 24th, 2008 at 12:12 PM
I would guarantee that [Bush] not only doesn’t know who Campbell is, but he doesn’t know a thing about the DOD policy.
And why should he? It’s not like his some kind of ‘Chief of all Commanders’ of the military or anything…
July 24th, 2008 at 12:13 PM
fuck that, i could total take bush at command and conquer
July 24th, 2008 at 12:14 PM
Some day’s W. is an evil genius fucking with people and other days he’s a moron. Hard to keep track of, I know, but Sioux fans aren’t know to use logic often.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:14 PM
*even more true
July 24th, 2008 at 12:15 PM
I had an issue with him not serving so he could play football…I also think its shitty how the rug got pulled out but It is not like these guys signed up for a military academy not knowing that he would have to serve…It is the whole point. Because Army wanted a good football team they were trying to change that to get better recruits. I think that is awful. If you want to be a football player pick a school that will allow that..
July 24th, 2008 at 12:17 PM
If we didn’t have a confrontation going on in like 14 countries overseas then this wouldn’t be a big deal.
/speculation
July 24th, 2008 at 12:17 PM
just posted this in the other thread, but it hits here as well..
you think a story about this kid, trying to play in the NFL would uplift soldiers fighting or a story about how the army and the people they take orders from is pulling this kid away from something really special and something where he can represent himself and thousands of other soldiers. If this kid had suited up for the lions, plenty of soldiers all across the world would feel proud, instead he got sent back to West Point to be a graduate assistant and recruit some kids and tell them, yeah the army took away my dream but come on and join anyway. This kid had a chance to fulfill two dreams that you have to absolutly work your ass off for mentally and physically which is go to west point and play in the NFL and that’s been taken away from him. And for what? Give me one good reason why that makes sense.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:18 PM
Some day’s W. is an evil genius fucking with people and other days he’s a moron.
Nah, he’s always a moron who is surrounded by evil geniuses (Cheney, Rummy, Wolfowitz, etc). Makes more sense.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:19 PM
again. this kid is not going to fight, he is going to be an assistant coach for their football team or a recruiter for them.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:20 PM
exactly moleman, if we had an issue with lack of soldiers then clearly it would make sense, and maybe caleb campbell wouldn’t have even entered the draft.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Umm, they aren’t in the business of recruiting top athletes that might go pro. They’re in the business of educating the next generation of military officers. It’s a fucking honor to goto any of the service academies, and it’s hard as hell to get into any of them. I agree that it was kinda dick to let him go through the process then tell him no, but he knew what he signed up for 4 years ago, and he has little right to complain. If he wanted to go to the NFL, he should’ve transferred to another university after his sophomore year.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:20 PM
Recc, I think you are naieve, soldiers stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan gain bothing by some guy playing for Lions. I think soldiers get more satisfaction from someone being apart of what they are apart of.
No I am not in the military but I come from about 10 generations of Marines so I’m not completely talking out of my ass. I sent an email to my Dad who is a retired Marine to see how he felt, I am interested to see.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:21 PM
If it takes some kid playing special teams in the NFL to make our soldiers feel proud, we’re seriously fucked as a country.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:21 PM
moleman you can’t tell anybody that’s in the army that they won’t (for sure) be in any combat zones. I know plenty of kids that signed up for the national guard who wanted to pay for school and were told it’d be a piece of cake and maybe have to fill some sandbags here and there then in 6 years they’d be done. Now some are overseas in combat.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:22 PM
being an assistant coach for armys football team is not being apart of two wars
July 24th, 2008 at 12:22 PM
we both used apart instead of a part. we suck
July 24th, 2008 at 12:23 PM
there is a huge difference between that and an academy graduate
July 24th, 2008 at 12:24 PM
I meant a brother with them in the Army, doesn’t matter whether he is at war or not, if he played in the NFL there would be more resentment felt towards him.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:26 PM
My best friend was in the Army for 3 years. He spent 18 months in Iraq the only thing he said he thought about was staying alive, his family and coming home.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:27 PM
Totally agree with you….my point is that if the military can recruit people with the brains and above average athletic ability and realizing that hardly anyone who actually suits up in college sports actually reaches the next level, wouldn’t this serve the military in a positive way by recruiting highly athletic people to serve if they measure up on the intelligence side?
July 24th, 2008 at 12:28 PM
I know moleman, but in theory you sign up for duty. Not for football. the football could go as far as I’m concerned. Not trying to be a hardass, but I just got out after 8 years last winter. I’m a firm believer that when you sign up you prepare yourself to go where they say. No questioning.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:29 PM
i can only speak for myself, obviously to think of myself being in a war is outrageous but this is how i believe i would feel and that is give this guy a chance to represent the armed forces in the NFL instead of behind a desk recruiting and then going out for football practice from 4 to 6. So far, I think he’s done an outstanding job by saying he goes where they tell him to go. thats pretty honorable if you ask me, because of how much he’s been jerked around.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:29 PM
What’s fucked up was they were playing Pagliacci when they put the kibosh on his dreams.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:30 PM
completely disagree with that. aside from the fact that there is a healthy amount of resentment towards academy graduates from enlisted men in the first place, i have a feeling that most people would probably resent him more if he is actually still serving but as an assistant football coach. do we not get shots of soldiers watching sporting events overseas at every opportunity? even if it just made a few of them feel better seeing an army guy playing i think it would have been a good move on their part. now they look like dicks for pulling the rug out from underneath him.
i remember david robinson as being the face of naval recruitment when i was growing up, i dont think this kid would have quiiite been that, but he would have been able to help if he were an nfl player. more than he would if he is an assistant football coach.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:31 PM
He doesn’t have much choice if he has to go back to the academy he doesn’t want to be the guy in uniform that everybody knows for fighting the ranks.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:32 PM
i know, which is why if he were just bitching that they wouldnt let him play football i wouldnt feel bad for him. but they said he could and strung him along, that is incredibly fucked up.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:34 PM
Offtopic, but I hit up the Browns practice on this beautiful morning and have a report, they stink.
Quinn > DA > Me > Dorsey
July 24th, 2008 at 12:34 PM
David Robinson also fulfilled his service duty before he went to the NBA.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:34 PM
True, I’m going to agree to disagree with you. I’m biased and loved my time. I’m not in his shoes though. I’m presuming in the back of his mind he knew it wasn’t going to happen anyway.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:35 PM
\]
he was excused from his last few years for being too tall actually.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:37 PM
another thing, why did this decision come from D.C? There isn’t enough shit on their desks that they have to go and fuck up this kid’s situation and create more bad press for themselves/Army.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:37 PM
thats too bad. Gotta give this Campbell guy respect for serving his country
July 24th, 2008 at 12:37 PM
The army screwed up on this one. Yes, I realize that you have a debt to your country after you complete your education but if you allow the kid to go through the combine, the draft, rookie camp and mini-camp, then you need to let him play. If the Army wants to change the policy going forward, so be it but Campbell should be grandfathered in. This is a shitty move pulled by the Army.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:37 PM
You’re probably right moleman but Robinson still had to sit out at least one season before he got to play
July 24th, 2008 at 12:37 PM
i asked my brother what he thinks about this, hes a navy recruiter so i will be interested to see what he says, especially b/c hes a hardcore republican
July 24th, 2008 at 12:38 PM
No, it doesn’t. They need recruits that first and foremost are there to prepare for a military career. If they start trying to get kids that are thinking professional ranks as their ultimate goal, it would screw up moral in the ranks by allowing individuals in that will not necessarily buy into the army way of life, and potentially flush millions of taxpayer’s money used to educate kids that will not put on a uniform. Besides, there are very few elite athletes that will be willing to put up with the crap required of them at service academies. Any time this issue comes up, it almost always deals with a late bloomer that had little pro potential coming out of highschool.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:39 PM
special considerations didn’t make the military what it is. Grandfathering him in, would be a bad move in my opinion. That would take legislation and tax dollars. In my opinion that wouldn’t be a good thing.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:39 PM
yeah robinson put in at least a year, but my point was just that a professional athlete can help with recruiting. the armed forces pour a shitton of money into nascar because its popular as hell, if you goto a race there are recruiters all over the place. having an inroad with the nfl could have been useful
July 24th, 2008 at 12:42 PM
@nwilson26–You’d probably know this so I’ll ask you. It keeps getting brought up how this kid playing in the NFL would help recruiting. Do we need help? How successful is the military right now in meeting it’s recruitment goals?
July 24th, 2008 at 12:45 PM
from the SI Vault:
It not like he is the first or only player to have benefited from the policy but because he is a football player and football being the most popular sport of course the policy gets attention when helps him. What ever what you think of the previous policy, it was there, he took advantage of the policy and days before he gets ready for camp,they reverse it after being told he could use the policy, that is messed up impo. but in the end, he knew what he was getting into, also from the Vault:
July 24th, 2008 at 12:45 PM
i believe there was a report last week that said they were meeting or exceeding their targets
(granted theyve dropped their requirements since the war started)
July 24th, 2008 at 12:47 PM
well hes an idiot anyways so im not shocked
July 24th, 2008 at 12:48 PM
I didn’t ask for your negative spin moleman, I just asked a simple question.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:49 PM
@nwilson26-It doesn’t take legislation. There isn’t another person from the army that was drafted by an NFL team this year. This is one kid. He plays and going forward, the new rule stands. I could understand grandfathering becoming a problem if you had multiple people drafted or if you had people coming out of the woodwork saying they should be included as well. But, since the pre-requisite to qualify for being grandfathered in would be getting drafted, I don’t foresee any claims other than Campbells.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:49 PM
thats not really negative spin but okay cock
the armed services were hurting and lowered some of their requirements, since doing so their numbers have increased. however i dont really think anyone could say we’ve got too many soldiers, even if theyre meeting the numbers they still need more
July 24th, 2008 at 12:50 PM
Just heard Campbell’s comments about who decided this on Dan Patrick’s show during lunch, and it doesn’t sound at all like how it reads… he wasn’t being conspiratorial by any stretch, he was just defending the general who runs West Point because they had fought hard for him throughout this entire process.
There wasn’t an ounce of bitterness in his tone the entire time.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:51 PM
I don’t know man, You know how people say, I loved it when I was in, and truly did love it? Well I did, but once your out it’s such a relief (if you served in combat) to just be here sometimes. To be honest with you, I’m through with it for now because I feel that I gave my life to them and am lucky enough to still be here with a wonderful job. Not all of us servants had the same luck as I have had after service. So I have distanced myself from it all because I believe that I need to, to get through some things. I can tell you one thing. When people get to action they are stoked, and ready to help. You don’t meet people that don’t want to be there. And in my time my units were never short staffed. Things happened, and we got now soldiers. I honestly think the Admiral was awesome, kind hearted, good natured, and he was awesome for everyone to be associated with. Not just the nba, but all sports. In reality not all military members are as “good” as him, meaning addicting. He had the smile, the persona so to speak. I don’t believe we need help but honestly couldn’t speak for the actual numbers. When the military decides to take care of certain issues they are going to put the people there to take care of it. The only people you hear bitching about not having enough people are the ones who either weren’t prepared for an attack, or were ambushed. They can become bitter, and in all due respect have that right. But on the other hand, kids want the signing bonuses and I don’t know what they are right now. The bigger the signing bonus, the more kids. Whether this answers or not? I don’t know. We have enough, but recruiting for later confrontations??? I’m not sure.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Loving the SI vault right now…
July 24th, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Way to resort to name calling moleman. That always wins an argument. I also asked my question to nwilson, not you.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:56 PM
its a solid goto way to win, i know
heres the latest (i believe) report from the horses mouth on recruitment numbers
but again, its worth nothing, and not meant to slam the military, but the percentage of army recruits with high school diplomas has dropped from the high nineties before the war to seventy percent now. if thats not an indication that they are having trouble recruiting, i dont know what is
July 24th, 2008 at 12:57 PM
I have only one problem…according to “sources” on the internet a primary sponsor of NASCAR team pays about $15- $25 million to help field a car….There is a National Guard Car, an Air Force Car, and an Army Car….thats just in Sprint Cup….Nationwide Series has Nat. Guard, Navy, and US Border Patrol Cars….Then there are the Drag Racing Cars…all aimed at recruiting kids from the south where 58% of the avaerage NASCAR fan makes less than $50k….
In other words…come see Dale Earnhardts car while 6 recruiters surround you and lie to you about how great serving in the military is…(I am ex Navy – I can say these things)
It seems as though the $31k a year that Campbell makes a year would be a bargain as a recruiter…
But it is a dangerous precedent to set. There are only so many big time colleges to showcase talents…the Military academys do not recruit kids to play sports…it is all walk on form what I understand…if you dont get recruited you can go to an academy and showcase your talent and get drafted….its a way of circumventing the system
I dont like the decision, but I see why it is necessary
July 24th, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Thanks for the response nwilson. I appreciate your candor and your service. I’m glad there are people like you in this country who put their asses on the line so people like me can sit behind a desk and push paper around. Sincerely, thank you.
July 24th, 2008 at 12:59 PM
fuck,i meant its worth noting
July 24th, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Wow, what an ugly, ugly thread. Sorry I missed it.
Proof positive that BDS is a real, breathing thing.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:02 PM
I don’t ask for thanks. People do things that are great for this country and have made sacrifices in other ways too. I love this country, and believe in my freedoms, and what is trying to be done (most of the time). I honestly feel like college sports is a business these days. The military is not a business or a sport. It’s a defender of our liberties.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:03 PM
im no fan of bush, i think hes one of the worst presidents ever, but i have enough faith in the foundation of the country that someone dumber than the average college student couldnt be elected governor of a major state and then president twice. he may say stupid things (how many of us could get up in front of the world and not sound like a fucking moron? not one) and i may not agree with his policies and cohorts, but i think the guy is pretty smart.
/.02
July 24th, 2008 at 1:03 PM
I’ve often wondered how the academies handled players who could go on to play professionally because when I play NCAA, I play as one of the military academies – at least in prior versions, if you were a military academy, your players would never leave early for the draft. I had a 4-year Heisman trophy winner.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:04 PM
@mike: BDS?
July 24th, 2008 at 1:05 PM
bds is like bush something syndrome, some dude coined it to explain an irrational hatred of dubs that makes people blame everything on him when he had nothing to do with it
July 24th, 2008 at 1:06 PM
Here, Nick.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:08 PM
wow thats one of the smartest video game related things ive ever heard, i tip my hat to you sir
July 24th, 2008 at 1:09 PM
Thanks Mike.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:11 PM
Wow…no comments on the NASCAR spending
July 24th, 2008 at 1:11 PM
I feel irrelevant
July 24th, 2008 at 1:12 PM
I think people get confused when they read ‘nascar’ or just stop reading…
I know i do anyway.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:13 PM
It just sucks thatthis kid cant recruit when $75 million a year gets spent to sponsor racecars thats all
July 24th, 2008 at 1:21 PM
$75 million a year gets spent to sponsor racecars thats all
I love the military and all that soldiers do for us, but they are fucking terrible with money.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:21 PM
Seriously a 7th rounder? His chances of making the team were slim-to-none anyway.
Yes, the Saints did rework Marques Colston contract, keeping him here for three more years. Thanks for asking!
July 24th, 2008 at 2:12 PM
Bush going to war with Iraq and only sending 1400 troops into Afghanistan to chase Bin Laden is a real, breathing thing.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:52 PM
It’s official–the crappiness of the Lions is a government conspiracy.