One of the better stories (at the time) of the 2008 NFL Draft was Caleb Campbell. A West Point cadet and Army football player that was invited to the NFL Combine and would have been allowed to fulfill his military obligations in an unconventional manner if a team drafted Campbell and he made the squad.
The argument was the publicity generated by Campbell would allow him to better serve the country. Whether or not that was true, I don't know. But it made sense. The Army's target demographic (young men) are avid football fans.
On Day 2 of the 2008 NFL Draft, Caleb Campbell was selected by the Detroit Lions. When selected, "...the entire draft crowd erupted, jerseys from every NFL team represented."
Now, as Campbell was getting ready to start his NFL career, the military pulled the carpet out from underneath him. "The Army changed its policy on July 8, but it wasn't until July 23 that the Lions received a letter from U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jonathan P. Liba, informing them in writing that Campbell had to cease playing football in order to perform "full time traditional military duties," until at least 2010."
The same argument used to advocate Campbell playing in the NFL (publicity) is what this situation is generating. However, the publicity is overwhelmingly negative.
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