Lawmakers rush to find an opening for Army star blocked from NFL
By Leo Shane III
Friday, Dec 16
Army linebacker Andre Carter II tackles Georgia State quarterback Cornelious Brown IV during the first quarter of an NCAA football game on Sept. 4, 2021, in Atlanta. (Ben Margot/AP)
Lawmakers are scrambling to tweak rules regarding whether military academy athletes are eligible to play professional sports after graduation following an outcry from legislation which may block an Army football star from a potential multi-million dollar career in the National Football League.
At issue is the future of Army linebacker Andre Carter II, who played his last game of collegiate football in last Saturday’s win over Navy. NFL scouts view Carter as a potential first-round draft pick and likely the highest pick ever from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
But Carter’s plans for a service deferment — a waiver that has been granted to come elite athletes from the military academies in recent years — were thrown into disarray last week when lawmakers included a provision in the annual defense authorization bill requiring two years of active-duty service before any such waiver could be granted.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/pentagon-congress/2022/12/17/lawmakers-rush-to-find-an-opening-for-army-star-blocked-from-nfl/
