Campbell also described to the Times how he came to the decision to pursue football:
There are two sides to the argument over whether this was a proper decision. As the Army struggles to expand, any strong recruiting effort by Campbell may truly help. At the same time, how does one go play football while his classmates go to war? Phil Carter at Intel Dump wondered how effective Campbell could actually be:
The UK Guardian had mixed feelings on the issue, but did acknowledge Campbell’s position does offer the chance to get prospective recruits to listen:
USA Today’s sports blog Game On took an informal poll of its readers, finding that 53 percent believe Campbell should not be playing football at this time. A sampling of two reader comments show just how heated the discussion can get:
The Lions’ defensive coordinator says he’s impressed with Campbell so far – but, I just wonder what happens if he doesn’t make the cut. If he goes back to the Army, how will his soldiers treat him?
mrkeepingitreal: Geeezzzz… let the kid play and get over it. he’s busted his butt for 4 years at the academy and had every intention of serving his tour. He just happened to be good enough to get drafted by the NFL…his publicity alone at the draft paid for his education. The Army and Armed Forces in general embrace stories like Campbell’s and it’s a great opportunity for his to represent them.
