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Safety Caleb Campbell became the first Army player to be drafted by the NFL in 11 years when the Detroit Lions selected him in the seventh round last April.

It'll be 11 more years before the next Army player is drafted by the NFL. Maybe longer.

That's because the Army doubled back on both Campbell and the Lions and ruled he cannot play pro football in 2008 – this after spending all spring telling the NFL he could.

Initially, the Army ruled that its players could invoke the "alternative service option," which would allow any player under NFL contract to serve the first two years of his military commitment as a recruiter in the town of his employer. That's why the Lions spent a draft pick on the Perryton, Texas native– he would be able to play for them right away.

But the Army apparently had a different interpretation of that policy than the Air Force and Navy. The other two service academies believed their graduates must serve two years before becoming eligible to play professional sports.

Campbell's selection created a firestorm in the military. After the NFL draft, the Department of Defense ordered the Army to review its interpretation of the policy and get in compliance with the Air Force and Navy.

So the Army pulled the plug on its interpretation and denied Campbell the chance to go to training camp with the Lions. He must now serve two years of his military commitment before he becomes eligible to play in the NFL.

Campbell entered the draft in good faith that he could play pro football, and the Lions drafted him in good faith that he could play. But Campbell knew the rules when he entered West Point.

The Army cannot make an exception in his case. West Point trained Campbell to be a soldier first and a football player second. This isn't a matter of football eligibility. It's a matter of national defense.

Campbell's commitment was to the Army, not to the NFL. Now he must honor his commitment.