Man this pisses me off. I'm rooting for him. The Army todl him if he was to get drafted, he wouldn't have to serve at all or full time, I can't recall. Now this. Damn Army. He's still going to be a LB for them though so thats good. I heard they liked what he was showing them.
They paid for him to get a West Point education and he owes them years of service. This has happened to other professional athletes as well. Messed up that the Lions gave up a draft pick but I don't feel sorry for Campbell, he either has to pay back the money the army spent on him or go fulfill his service.
I agree he signed on to this so I dont really feel sorry for him. However, I still think the military is making a mistake. Have this guy go to schools as a recruiter in the offseason or something to fulfill his duty. Not to mention just having the good press that him playing on Sunday's would bring to the military should be seen as a bonus.
well actually it seems he signed on for something that has since changed since he originally signed up. so he kind of signed up for something else ? I guess Uncle Sam really needs Campbell.
Good point. If he signed on thinking going pro would get him out of active duty, he technically is getting screwed by a change in policy.
yeah, i mean i dont know the details of such things, but you'd think certain people would be grandfathered in to certain rules, laws, obligations when two sides make such an enormous commitment.
i wouldnt have a problem if they hadnt given him the hope of being able to play pro ball. if they didnt even allow him to enter the draft i wouldn't have a problem but they gave him the idea that he could fulfill his commitment in other ways and basically stabbed him in the back.
The military has the right to call him back but it's still not a very wise thing to do given the circumstances.
*******s. Purely a dick move. You tell the kid he can go out and play football, infact they told him that he should, and then pull this garbage? Ridiculous. Screw the Army. If I ever have a child who wishes to go into war, he or she is not attending the Army. What a classless move. Making the kids in the future go into service right away is fine, but not the ones who you already told could go out and do other things and have already started other career paths.
I'm pretty sure the army does that all the time and I would think that is probably in the contract they sign.
i gotta talk to my attorney about fixin me up some of them 1-sided contracts where only the other moron has to honor the agreement.
meh, I'm pretty sure they put that they can change the terms/period of service. Either that or someone made a promise they couldn't keep. I think some people are trying to make this into a one time thing, which it isn't. In which case I would think the army is covered in the contract.
Its wrong to get someones hopes up like that. Dont make the rule if you dont plan on honoring it. I'm all for soldiers fulfilling their obligations, but this is a case of reneging on legitimate previously established terms. Is there any chance of an ex-post-facto issue coming up here?
I think a lot of people have a distinct lack of understanding this issue here. He was given a free education at West Point, one of the premier education institutions on the Planet. He is set for life with that education. He was not recruited to play football, none of the people at West Point are. He was recruited to be a Army Officer. He was trained to be a Army Officer. We have two wars going on and a shortage of Army Officers, a big shortage. He is needed elsewhere. The needs of the Army come before the needs of the NFL. He is a Soldier first, as is everyone that signs a contract with the Army. He didn't get screwed over, he is set for life with that education. He can also go play in the NFL in a few years if he chooses to do so. The Armed Service academies do not recruit athletes they recruit Officer Candidates and they get world class educations to become officers, not professional athletes. If Campbell had wanted to play in the NFL he should have chosen to play at a regular University on scholarship. The Army shouldn't have let Campbell think or the Lions think that he would be available immediately, that was a mistake but I have no issue with making Campbell serve his time. The feeling I get from everyone I talk to in the service is just about unanimous, he is obligated to serve his time. No one should feel sorry for him. There are a lot of comments in here that show a very basic misunderstanding of what Campbell committed to do when he went to West Point or what that institutions mission is.
i just think they shouldnt have let him think he could serve as a PR puppet, and then once he has contributed in that way, they pull the plug. I find it very convenient that they let him play out his draft saga before reneging. He was the feel good story of the draft. Many people were drawn to that, and now this will likely fall on deaf ears now that things have changed. To me, its not about whether or not he should serve his time. Its about them telling him one thing, and then doing another after the fact.
This is where I have a problem. Just kind of a dick move IMO. It's not as if they didn't know what he was doing. He's somewhat of a national story. He was at West Point a week ago and nobody said a word to him. They let him go all the way to Detroit, on the doorstep of his dream.....waiting until the day before camp starts before ordering him back. The military is all about getting as much good PR as possible, and rightfully so. This was a great PR story. And the Army managed to undo it. I've got no problem with making him fulfill his duty. But to unnecessarily string him along, they could have been more respectful of one of their own.
With all due respect, I think it's you who is missing the point. Everything you say about Cambell's commitment to the army is true. But he was told he could play football. He was promised he could play football if he could be drafted. He was. Now the army is renegging on that promise. If they didn't want to let Cambell play, they should have never let him get drafted into the NFL. Nip it in the butt right there. End of story. But they did. Imagine the emotional roller coaster this kid is on. Not only does he not get to live his dream of playing in the NFL, but now he has to go get shot at. And now let's talk about the timing. A day before training camp. Are you F****** kidding me? You wanna try and explain how that's not a terrible thing to do to a young man? Bottom line is, you can say commitment, duty, obligation, and I get all that. I really do. But don't promise somebody something and jerk it away from them at the last second. It's not like this war started yesterday. They do not need him that badly. The unbelievable thing is this guy is going to go serve his country without question even after being royally screwed by the people he looked up to and respected the most. That makes him a better man than me.
Bro, when you join the military there is no clause when you first sign up that says if you get a better offer you are free of your obligation. What the Army does, is allow athletes a way to play if they are choosen in the draft. Under the rule, the candidate is responsible to complete two years of active service and can buy his remaining time at the end of the two years. Here is the way the Dallas News explains it: Here is Campbells reaction:
Is he really serving the Army by being an assistant coach? Or is he better serving them by being a positive PR machine playing in the NFL? The fact that he's a football coach shows they dont really need him, so what was the point? So the military could recoup what it paid for his edu? Please.
He also said this: http://www.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/ Also in other news, the Lions have extended Leigh Bodden to 3 years/ $27 million. The link is the same.
I'm not missing the point, I said they shouldn't have let him get drafted then turn around and tell him that he can't go, that was wrong. However, I find the lack of understanding of the facts here just wrong. His first committment is to the Army. The Army can send me notice to go anywhere they want tomorrow and guess what? Thats where I'm going. Its not any different if you are a football player or not. People are talking like his life is ruined when in actuality he is set for life with a West Point education. Lets feel sorry for people who didn't get 'screwed over' by getting a free ivy league education and job opportunities the vast majority of us will never dream of. The guy will be fine. Lets not forget he was never even guaranteed to make the team or stay in the NFL for the longrun either. If his dream was to be in the NFL he should have just gone to a regular college.
