Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Times
April 30, 2008 By Judy Battista
It was not until he was a sophomore on the Army football team that Caleb Campbell learned his job after graduation might be something other than as a platoon leader, guiding 32 soldiers in Iraq or in Kuwait.
“When I came to West Point, I wasn’t saying, ‘God, I hope they make a new policy so I don’t have to go to Iraq,’” Campbell said Tuesday. “I knew what I was getting into. I initially came to the academy knowing I wanted to be an officer in the United States Army. Playing football was just extra.”
On Sunday, the Detroit Lions picked Campbell in the seventh round of the N.F.L. draft, making him the first Army player to be selected since a new policy was established in 2005 to allow individuals with exceptional skills to pursue their professional careers while remaining on active duty.
The Army’s hope is that talented people, like elite athletes or musicians, can help promote the service and boost recruiting. But the Army has also found itself defending the policy, which drew little attention before Sunday. Before this year, five former West Point athletes were accepted into the program. In the next few days, Campbell will join two Army teammates who signed free-agent contracts at N.F.L. minicamps. They are beneficiaries of a policy that allows them to start their playing careers sooner than they would had they played for Air Force or for Navy.
If he makes the Lions’ roster, Campbell will most likely spend his off days and the off-season recruiting for the Army in the Detroit area. But his real job, he said, will be playing football. And that is enough to satisfy the Army.
On the N.F.L. stage, Campbell, who will probably play linebacker, could prove to be far more valuable to Army recruiting than other traditional recruiters, officials said. His situation is already drawing enough interest that the Army had a conference call on Tuesday for the news media to talk with Campbell and his teammate Mike Viti, who signed a free-agent contract with Buffalo.
Campbell acknowledged that he initially had mixed emotions about his opportunity. He said he spoke to other cadets and his instructors while pondering his situation.
“I had a talk with myself,” he said on the conference call. “Either way I could win. I decided if football presented an opportunity to play in the N.F.L., I would take it. Me, as a football player, would be very beneficial representing the United States Army.”
Last August, the Department of Defense issued a memo with a policy for all branches of the military governing individuals with special talents. Under the policy, members of the military can request an early release from active duty after two years “for the purpose of pursuing a professional sports activity with potential recruiting or public affairs benefits for the department.”
In 2005, Francis J. Harvey, the secretary of the Army at the time, approved the policy that went further. Any member of the Army with an exceptional skill who could provide recruiting and public affairs benefits to the Army could be assigned to the nearest recruiting unit for their two-year active-duty period. Those approved can participate in their professional activity — in Campbell’s case, pro football — as long as it does not interfere with military duties. Then they can apply for early release from active duty.
“People have philosophical problems with this — they think everyone else is going to Iraq,” said one Army official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the policy. “You can’t judge someone’s worth by their proximity to the battlefield. There are a couple thousand soldiers on recruiting duty. Is he still helping the Army? Yes. Is he still serving? Yes.”
Still, the experiences of Campbell and his Army teammates will probably be far different from those of former military sports stars, like Roger Staubach in the N.F.L. or David Robinson in the N.B.A. Staubach served four years as an officer in the Navy, including a tour in Vietnam, before joining the Cowboys as a 27-year-old quarterback. Robinson, the former Spurs center nicknamed the Admiral, spent two years on active duty with the Navy before joining the N.B.A.
Since November, the Navy has suspended its program governing early release after two years of active duty. “The nation is at war,” said Laura Stegherr, a Navy spokeswoman. “The Navy doesn’t intend to change the policy.”
Perhaps influenced by the fierce rivalries between the branches, some officials wonder if the Army has an advantage, particularly in sports recruiting, where the academies frequently pursue the same high school players who meet their academic requirements.
The Air Force considers requests on a case-by-case basis but has no written policy like the Army’s. Several players applied to play basketball in France, but their requests were denied because there is no recruiting value to the Air Force in France, said Tom Wenz, an Air Force spokesman. He said the Air Force would probably not change its policy.
“The requirements are there in order to meet our primary needs as a fighting force,” Wenz said. “The Army is also a lot bigger than us. The loss of one individual from their operational capability is probably a lot more easily absorbed.”
Navy’s football coach, Ken Niumatalolo, said the academy considered a rule similar to the Army’s a few years ago but did not approve it. Among the concerns, he said, was the message it might send during a time of war and the possibility there would be a flood of applicants for alternative service. That seems unlikely in sports, Niumatalolo said, because the Navy produces perhaps one player every five years with a realistic chance to make it in the N.F.L.
“This is the first time all three of us aren’t working under the same guidelines,” Niumatalolo said. “I don’t care what the policy is. I just would like it to be the same. It’s obviously an advantage for Army, and our hands are tied.”
If the players ultimately fail to make their N.F.L. teams, they will be reassigned and return to their normal career progression in the Army. That could lead them to war.
“I’ve heard stories about what’s gone on in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Campbell said. “In another sense, the N.F.L. is just as much pressure. You’re out there to take somebody’s job. In terms of coaches can’t cut me? We’re talking about the N.F.L. here. This is a cutthroat business.”
April 30, 2008 By Judy Battista
It was not until he was a sophomore on the Army football team that Caleb Campbell learned his job after graduation might be something other than as a platoon leader, guiding 32 soldiers in Iraq or in Kuwait.
“When I came to West Point, I wasn’t saying, ‘God, I hope they make a new policy so I don’t have to go to Iraq,’” Campbell said Tuesday. “I knew what I was getting into. I initially came to the academy knowing I wanted to be an officer in the United States Army. Playing football was just extra.”
On Sunday, the Detroit Lions picked Campbell in the seventh round of the N.F.L. draft, making him the first Army player to be selected since a new policy was established in 2005 to allow individuals with exceptional skills to pursue their professional careers while remaining on active duty.
The Army’s hope is that talented people, like elite athletes or musicians, can help promote the service and boost recruiting. But the Army has also found itself defending the policy, which drew little attention before Sunday. Before this year, five former West Point athletes were accepted into the program. In the next few days, Campbell will join two Army teammates who signed free-agent contracts at N.F.L. minicamps. They are beneficiaries of a policy that allows them to start their playing careers sooner than they would had they played for Air Force or for Navy.
If he makes the Lions’ roster, Campbell will most likely spend his off days and the off-season recruiting for the Army in the Detroit area. But his real job, he said, will be playing football. And that is enough to satisfy the Army.
On the N.F.L. stage, Campbell, who will probably play linebacker, could prove to be far more valuable to Army recruiting than other traditional recruiters, officials said. His situation is already drawing enough interest that the Army had a conference call on Tuesday for the news media to talk with Campbell and his teammate Mike Viti, who signed a free-agent contract with Buffalo.
Campbell acknowledged that he initially had mixed emotions about his opportunity. He said he spoke to other cadets and his instructors while pondering his situation.
“I had a talk with myself,” he said on the conference call. “Either way I could win. I decided if football presented an opportunity to play in the N.F.L., I would take it. Me, as a football player, would be very beneficial representing the United States Army.”
Last August, the Department of Defense issued a memo with a policy for all branches of the military governing individuals with special talents. Under the policy, members of the military can request an early release from active duty after two years “for the purpose of pursuing a professional sports activity with potential recruiting or public affairs benefits for the department.”
In 2005, Francis J. Harvey, the secretary of the Army at the time, approved the policy that went further. Any member of the Army with an exceptional skill who could provide recruiting and public affairs benefits to the Army could be assigned to the nearest recruiting unit for their two-year active-duty period. Those approved can participate in their professional activity — in Campbell’s case, pro football — as long as it does not interfere with military duties. Then they can apply for early release from active duty.
“People have philosophical problems with this — they think everyone else is going to Iraq,” said one Army official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the policy. “You can’t judge someone’s worth by their proximity to the battlefield. There are a couple thousand soldiers on recruiting duty. Is he still helping the Army? Yes. Is he still serving? Yes.”
Still, the experiences of Campbell and his Army teammates will probably be far different from those of former military sports stars, like Roger Staubach in the N.F.L. or David Robinson in the N.B.A. Staubach served four years as an officer in the Navy, including a tour in Vietnam, before joining the Cowboys as a 27-year-old quarterback. Robinson, the former Spurs center nicknamed the Admiral, spent two years on active duty with the Navy before joining the N.B.A.
Since November, the Navy has suspended its program governing early release after two years of active duty. “The nation is at war,” said Laura Stegherr, a Navy spokeswoman. “The Navy doesn’t intend to change the policy.”
Perhaps influenced by the fierce rivalries between the branches, some officials wonder if the Army has an advantage, particularly in sports recruiting, where the academies frequently pursue the same high school players who meet their academic requirements.
The Air Force considers requests on a case-by-case basis but has no written policy like the Army’s. Several players applied to play basketball in France, but their requests were denied because there is no recruiting value to the Air Force in France, said Tom Wenz, an Air Force spokesman. He said the Air Force would probably not change its policy.
“The requirements are there in order to meet our primary needs as a fighting force,” Wenz said. “The Army is also a lot bigger than us. The loss of one individual from their operational capability is probably a lot more easily absorbed.”
Navy’s football coach, Ken Niumatalolo, said the academy considered a rule similar to the Army’s a few years ago but did not approve it. Among the concerns, he said, was the message it might send during a time of war and the possibility there would be a flood of applicants for alternative service. That seems unlikely in sports, Niumatalolo said, because the Navy produces perhaps one player every five years with a realistic chance to make it in the N.F.L.
“This is the first time all three of us aren’t working under the same guidelines,” Niumatalolo said. “I don’t care what the policy is. I just would like it to be the same. It’s obviously an advantage for Army, and our hands are tied.”
If the players ultimately fail to make their N.F.L. teams, they will be reassigned and return to their normal career progression in the Army. That could lead them to war.
“I’ve heard stories about what’s gone on in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Campbell said. “In another sense, the N.F.L. is just as much pressure. You’re out there to take somebody’s job. In terms of coaches can’t cut me? We’re talking about the N.F.L. here. This is a cutthroat business.”