Caleb Campbell Criticism Unjustified

May 2nd, 2008

Seventh round picks in the NFL draft do not usually provide much conversation at the water cooler. Seventh round picks barely ever make it to the end of training camp without being released or relegated to the practice squad before the regular season begins. Because of this, seventh round picks are rarely analyzed and even less often scrutinized, leaving the controversy to the early rounds when teams are throwing millions of dollars at unproven college players that will influence their respective franchises for years to come. This seventh round pick, Caleb Campbell, was different.

Campbell, a safety out of Army, was a three and half year starter throughout the course of his career. However, his career in college was supposed to lead him into being an active member of the Army, not the NFL. The army now permits athletes to pursue their dreams in professional sports by allowing them to provide other services to aid the country, besides serving overseas. This is what makes Campbell ‘different’. This is what makes this college kid the subject of much debate in the sports world today.

For the sake of argument, we must throw out everyone’s views on whether or not the war in Iraq is justified. We would be here forever discussing why or why not the U.S. should have initially gone into Iraq or are still in Iraq. It’s a moot point for this discussion. There is no 100% correct answer to those questions and anyone that says otherwise needs to stop pounding the extreme Kool-Aid. The soldiers are not involved in the decision making process and therefore, the war in Iraq should be assumed to be just like any other battle. We need to leave this outside of the debate.

There are two points of view:

1) Caleb Campbell is not fulfilling his duty to this country by not joining his classmates at war.

2) The army has provided a way for him to serve his country in an alternative fashion and he can be beneficial in other ways.

I am with point of view #2, and quite strongly. Here’s why:

It was very admirable of Campbell to sign up for the army in the first place. That decision is not the same one that most people in this country choose to do. That alone is praiseworthy.

Since when is one’s role in the army defined by such provincial guidelines? I did not know that being in the army meant that there was one simple and narrow definition of your job description. I’m pretty sure that there are various roles that need to be filled in order for our nation’s defense to function properly. Soldiers on the ground are not more important than the one’s sitting by computers on the homeland. The National Guard is not more important than the recruiters who sold them on their involvement in the first place. Each conducts vital tasks that need to be done. Some roles may be more life-threatening than others, but that does not mean that citizens on the homeland can sit back and judge anyone for their decisions when regarding their own safety. People are allowed to make choices.

What bothers me the most about this entire situation is what is being spoken and written in the media. The one article that I found most disturbing was written by Bill Simonson on the HUGE blog, which I found on MLive.com’s sports section. The article compares Campbell to the stories of Pat Tillman and Schulyer Williamson. Tillman was the former Arizona Cardinal football player who walked away from millions of dollars in order to serve this country in Iraq. He was killed by friendly fire during his tour of duty. Williamson was the minor league baseball player who enlisted in the army after one year of playing baseball. The “writer” goes on to explain why Campbell has no character and is not a leader, because of what these two other guys decided was right for them. Here are some of the lovely snippets from the article, followed by my thoughts:

“I’ve always wondered if I could walk away from everything for this country. That is a question none of us could answer until that day came.” Ok, so you’re officially the biggest hypocrite this side of Christine Beatty loving Kwame Kilpatrick for being a “family man”. I guess the day came and he decided against it. So now you’re going to judge him? That makes a lot of sense!

“If Campbell was a leader and a man of the highest character, wouldn’t he turn down the Lions and honor his duty to this country?” He is still fulfilling his duty to this country. He is not off the hook. If some emergency came about then he would still be able to go overseas. Campbell has the opportunity to be an NFL player AND serve his country. He does not have to apologize for killing two birds with one stone. This has NOTHING to do with character.

“Campbell and the Army are spinning this as a great thing if he makes the Lions’ roster. That way he can recruit for the Army for two years in Detroit to fulfill his active-duty commitment.” It IS an amazing break for the army. Can you imagine how great it would be for the army to have this high-profile of a recruiter? Given the state of Michigan’s economy, it may be the best option for many to enlist. What if Campbell becomes a solid player? He becomes the story of the year, with the army as the backdrop.

“Men of character don’t opt out. Leaders lead by example. Maybe Campbell should look at the stories of Tillman and Williamson to understand that when he entered West Point, duty, honor and country meant more than fame and fortune.” Well, since Pat Tillman died, I don’t know if that is the person that you want to compare Caleb Campbell to. Pat Tillman was a great man. But his death is not a success, even though that is how the article tries to portray it. The goal is not for soldiers to die, but unfortunately it does happen.

One could say that because he is not going to Iraq, then that is one more person that will have to go overseas. “That’s one more person’s son, brother, grandson, nephew that will now have to put their life at risk!” Guess what? I’m not going to the army. So blame me, because if I would have chosen that route for my life then that would be one less person that would have to go. But, since I chose not to, I am endangering someone else. I hope that you see how flawed that type of logic is, more flawed than Kwame thinking that he can still run the city of Detroit.

Others probably think that it is unfair to Campbell’s classmates that he gets to get out of what he promised to do. Well, I would venture to say that most of the students at West Point do not have the same type of opportunity, fresh out of school, that Campbell does. If going overseas is such a negative, then why did they sign up for it in the first place? It is as if they did not know that it was a possibility. Think about it: if there are classmates complaining, then that must mean that serving overseas is not something that they want to do. Isn’t that just as hypocritical as they claim that Campbell is being?

Would these complainers still be singing the same tune if we were not in the midst of a time where we are currently engaged with another country? Is it fair to judge him based upon the time that he graduated college? I most definitely do not believe so.

The army provided this rule that allowed him to not serve overseas, not the other way around. He didn’t make this rule for himself. The army decided that this was the best option. Once again: here’s the thing: it is not like he is completely off of the hook either.

Caleb Campbell is fulfilling his own dream. Isn’t that what this country is supposed to stand for? Have you not heard of this ‘American Dream’? Have you not heard that this country was founded upon freedom? As in, the freedom to choose what is the best for you, not your next door neighbor.

For those detractors out there, Caleb Campbell will do more for this country than most of you ever will. For those that feel that you have given more, I am sorry that someone had a ‘different’ set of circumstances than you.

Entry Filed under: Sports