‘Captain Huge’ misfires in attack on Army player
Army football player Caleb Campbell
Former Oklahoma City sportscaster Bill Simonson is way off base again, this time questioning the patriotism and commitment of Army strong safety Caleb Campbell, who was drafted in the seventh round by the Detroit Lions.
Simonson’s low-class sports talk show now resides in Michigan, where he has a statewide network. His national show on Sunday night is carried in Oklahoma by the Sports Animal Radio Network from 5 to 7 p.m.
Writing in his “HUGE BLOG” on www.mlive.com, Simonson, nicknamed “Captain Huge,” implies Campbell lacks character because he’s trying to play in the NFL when, if he was a real man, he would be off fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. He doesn’t mention that he still will be serving as an Army recruiter while playing for the Lions.
Simonson writes, “If Campbell was a leader and a man of the highest character, wouldn’t he turn down the Lions and honor his duty to this country?
“Even before the Lions picked him, the Army had stooped to using him in uniform as a military mascot during the NFL draft.
“Is this duty, honor, country?”
Jim Carty, a columnist for the
Tired of Simonson’s third-rate show, Carty said he no longer will appear on “The Huge Show.” He also he has taken Simonson to task for his attack on Campbell. Here’s an excerpt from Carty’s blog at www.mlive.com:
Campbell has put football ahead of country, Simonson writes.Seriously. He wrote that. He wrote it despite the fact Campbell is still in the Army, still has a multi-year obligation to our country, and could very well still find himself serving in combat at some point if pro football doesn’t work out. Fighting, ironically enough, for freedoms including Bill Simonson’s right to make an idiot of himself pretty much on a daily basis, even if it means taking shots at an innocent kid trying to live an American dream. What a country, huh?
The problem here, though, is that there’s a real person behind the name Caleb Campbell, a kid who passed up the easy and fun college life to make a commitment to our country. Anyone who gets through West Point or one of the service academies has achieved something that sets them apart. To do it while playing football is nothing less than an inspiration.To do it well enough to be considered an NFL or NBA prospect is almost unheard of.
The Navy excused David Robinson from three of the five years of his active military commitment. Was that putting basketball ahead of country? Of course not, and Robinson’s commitment to this country was never questioned. Neither should Campbell’s. Not for a minute. Not by anyone, let alone a guy doing it just to get people to notice a third-rate local radio show.”
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I think it is a bit nice of Mr. Carty to call Simonson’s show “third rate”. I think it is the epitome of what is wrong with sports talk radio. It appeals only to the lowest common denominator.