Andre Carter II, are rare football player from one of the military academies with legitimate first-round NFL Draft pick potential, could lose his eligibility for 2023 and several years after.
There are hundreds of players who have hopes of being selected by an NFL team in the annual draft each year. However, only a small amount actually can reach that goal. That scenario is even more infrequent when it comes to players competing for military academies like Army, Navy, and Air Force.
Those academies are built to train future leaders of the armed forces, not eventual NFL stars. Yet, on occasion, some servicemen are gifted enough to make the leap to the next level. And Army Black Knights star linebacker Andre Carter II is a special enough talent that some NFL observers project he could be selected in the first round of next year’s draft.
Also Read: 2023 NFL Draft order – Round 1 picks by teams in Week 15
Unfortunately for Carter II, the government he serves is in the process of installing a new military guideline that would prohibit him from being drafted in 2023, and at least several more years after that.
New bill prohibits Andre Carter II from competing in NFL for at least five years
On Friday, The Military Times reported that members of Congress made an addendum to their annual defense authorization bill that makes heading to professional sports after academy graduation “a breach of agreement to serve as an officer” for cadets.
In 2019, former President Donald Trump pushed through a rule that allowed cadets to file for a waiver that pushed back their service obligations so they could play professional sports. However, current House leaders are looking to put that to an end, and the new guidelines could be signed into law by President Joseph Biden soon, after passing through the Senate on Thursday.
“The cadet may not obtain employment, including as a professional athlete, until after completing the cadet’s commissioned service obligation.”
– New guidelines for miltary cadets with pro sports aspirations (via ESPN)
For members of the Army, like Andre Carter II, their obligations to the service include five years of active duty and three years in the individual-ready reserve. Once the bill is signed by President Biden, it would go into effect immediately and ESPN reported that he would not be able to receive a “legacy exception” despite the new rule coming near the end of his time in the academy.
Carter II had the possibility to earn a waiver and enter the NFL Draft in previous seasons, however, he remained at the academy for two more years out of loyalty to the Army.