Congress set to reverse rule that would have kept Andre Carter II out of 2023 NFL Draft

Congress, in a rare move, is righting a wrong, at least in the short term, with an effort under way to amend language in a defense bill that would have forced top NFL prospect Andre Carter II out of next spring’s draft.

Carter and other upperclassmen in the nation’s service academies would be able to pursue professional opportunities under the terms of a 2019 rule advocated for by former President Donald Trump, one of the few things that Trump got right in his term in the White House.

The rule allowed student-athletes at Army, Navy and the Air Force Academy to defer their required military service after graduation to pursue professional sports opportunities.

Carter, a 6’7”, 260-pound linebacker, is the #2 outside linebacker on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s big board, and could go as high as the late first round in the 2023 draft.

If Carter goes in the Top 50, he would be the highest NFL draft pick from Army since way back in 1947.

The defense appropriations bill passed last week contained language to rescind the rule, though it didn’t seem that anyone could answer why, as there had been no noticeable push from anywhere to change the rule.

Carter had cited the Trump-era rule in his decision to remain at Army when he had the opportunity to transfer out without penalty before his junior season in 2021.

The language to change the rule was written by Mike Gallagher, a Republican member of the U.S. House from Wisconsin.

In a statement to ESPN last week, all Gallagher could offer in support of his effort to change a rule that no one else seems to want change was: “U.S. military service academies exist to produce warfighters, not professional athletes.”

And then on Tuesday, this was Gallagher: “I’m glad the updated text grandfathers existing athletes as we phase in a new system that prioritizes service. Moving forward, there is much more work to be done to ensure our military service academies are laser-focused on their core, taxpayer-supported mission: training the next generation of warfighters.”

If Gallagher’s view is the prevailing one in Washington, it would seem that congressional leaders might next want to look at the ongoing financial support for D1 college athletics at Army, Navy and Air Force.

Imagine … Army-Navy, as club football.

That’ll get people riled up.