As a West Point graduate and former Infantry officer, I was thrilled to learn that the Detroit Lions drafted Army cornerback Caleb Campbell in the seventh round of the NFL Draft this weekend in New York City. Not only was I happy to see a fellow alum be recognized for his accomplishments, but I was also gratified to see the Army’s new policy, which in certain cases allows cadet athletes to go pro, working as it was designed.

The intent behind the rule is multi-tiered. On one level, it was created to attract and encourage other talented high school athletes to attend West Point and thereby bolster Army’s athletic program, particularly their football program, which has been swimming in despair for over a decade. With America at war for the last six years in Afghanistan and Iraq, many patriotic young Americans have chosen to serve by attending the Military Academy. While these young men and women have significantly enriched our armed forces on the field of battle, West Point has struggled on the fields of friendly strife, most likely due to the fact that many talented athletes, who may have chosen to attend West Point during peacetime, have now chosen to take their chances at other college athletic programs, without the risk of dying in combat.

I remember my father, who was a professor at West Point during the waning years of the Vietnam War in the 1970’s, telling me about how horrible Army football was during that time period, as they could simply not recruit the same kind of athletes that would be attracted the program during peacetime. While I was attending West Point, America was enjoying a time of relative peace, and the program prospered. During those years, the biggest reason many athletes would choose West Point over other programs is that West Point remained a Division I program. West Point gave talented athletes an opportunity to play at the highest level of competition. If it weren’t for West Point, many of these same athletes would have had to choose Division II or Division III programs, because the vast majority of these athletes didn’t have the size or the skills to play for other major college programs.

The other reason the Military Academy enacted this policy was in the interest of PR and recruiting. The incredible level of attention given to a seventh round pick is unprecedented. Campbell’s selection by the Lions has already worked wonders for the reputation of the Army football program. He will be a poster boy for not only recruiting talented atheletes to attend West Point, but also for attracting young men and women to serve in the regular ranks of the Armed Services in general.

While for many Campbell’s selection is a “feel-good” story, there hasn’t been a lack of detractors either, criticizing this policy for being unfair or preferential towards football players. The fact is, at least a half dozen other athletes have also benefitted from this policy, although Campbell is the first football player to do so and is clearly the most high-profile instance of this policy in action. Some people might say that Campbell is shirking his duty. Others might complain that all of those tax-payer dollars supporting his college education and military training have gone to waste. Still others might say that this policy will undermine the integrity of the armed forces and only encourage others to take advantage of West Point’s “free ride,” only to leave for the NFL upon graduation.

I want to address each of these points:

1) Campbell is shirking his duty. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Campbell is following the rules to the letter. Over the next two years Campbell will wear “two-hats.” He will be an NFL rookie, struggling to make the team and make an impact on the playing field. And when he is not playing or practicing, he will be an Army recruiter, working day and night to attract others to the Armed Forces. If he remains on the team after two years, he will have the option to “buy out” his military contract and revert to Reserve status, still remaining an Army officer with certain obligations.

2) Campbell’s Education and Training Have Gone to Waste. The needs of the Army are many. They don’t just need “trigger pullers.” They also need smart, capable individuals that can serve in different ways. If Caleb Campbell can encourage just a handful of talented young men and women to attend the Academy who ordinarily wouldn’t have chosen to serve, he has fulfilled his mission.

3) Campbell Will Only Encourage Others to Take a “Free Ride” at the Academy. When I was a cadet at the Military Academy, we used to say that a West Point education was a quarter million dollar education shoved up your ass one penny at a time. There is nothing “free” about going to West Point without paying for actual tuition. Only a select few individuals have the integrity, courage, and commitment to see it through to a successful completion. Even if dozens of talented athletes now decide to attend West Point as a direct result of Campbell’s success, a miniscule number will achieve what Campbell has accomplished. The odds of getting drafted by the NFL are minute, even for incredibly talented players at “big school” programs. And even if one is drafted, the odds of remaining in the NFL are even more remote.

I am reminded of a friend of mine at the Academy who was the last Army player to be drafted by the NFL. His name is Ronnie McAda, and he was a quarteback chosen by the Green Bay Packers with the last pick of the final round of the NFL Draft back in 1997. Ronnie was a fabulous athlete, leading Army through its last truly successful campaign, compiling a 10-2 record and a bowl game appearance against Auburn, as well as a barn-burner last second loss to Notre Dame during the regular season. Incidentally, year after year, the last man taken in the draft is nicknamed “Mr. Irrelevant,” due to the nearly impossible odds of this caliber of player remaining on an NFL roster for an appreciable period of time. Ronnie didn’t have the benefit of this policy, which would have given him more freedom and leeway to compete at the elite NFL level of competition. He went to training camp on his leave but had to return to active duty, much like Roger Staubach had to decades before. Who knows if Ronnie would have made an impact in the NFL if this policy were in place back then. But there is no doubt that if he did, he would have benefitted the Army and West Point in a different and important way.

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