Navy football player Jamir Tillman was expecting to be chosen in the National Football League Draft at some point Saturday.
Numerous discussions with NFL scouts and general managers led Tillman and his agent to believe the talented wide receiver would be selected in the sixth or seventh round.
Calvin Stanberry, a friend and mentor, hosted a draft party for Tillman at his Prince George's County home Saturday. Tillman's parents and grandfather flew in from Las Vegas to attend the party while several friends and supporters were also on hand.
Tillman would have told everyone involved not to bother with such an event had he known the Department of Defense was going to rescind a year-old policy that allowed service academy graduates to pursue professional sports immediately after graduation.