Kansas City, Missouri - After an outcry over the future of star Army linebacker Andre Carter II, lawmakers scurried to alter the language of the National Defense Authorization Act, clearing his path to the 2023 NFL Draft.

The passage of the NDAA closed a loophole that allowed athletes from service academies from deferring their five years of service in order to play professional sports.

However, on Tuesday, a provision clearing the way for Carter and other athletes at service academies to play immediately has reportedly been included in the Omnibus Appropriations Measure that is expected to be passed by Congress and signed by President Biden this week.

The bill now includes language saying that the new policy governing professional sports, "shall only apply with respect to a cadet or midshipman who first enrolls in the United States Military Academy, the United States Naval Academy, or the United States Air Force Academy on or after June 1, 2021."

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Carter and athletes enrolled ahead of that date would then be eligible to play while deferring their service.

Carter, a 6-foot-7 linebacker is expected to take part in the Senior Bowl and he is projected to be drafted in the first two rounds of the Draft.

His breakthrough season came in 2021 when he posted a huge defensive numbers: 41 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two passes defended, one interception, and one fumble recovery.

He helped lead Army to an Armed Forces Bowl win over the SEC's Missouri with a sack to end that season.

Since 1969, only two Army players have been drafted to the NFL - both selected in the seventh round. The last Army player drafte in the first round was in 1947 with Glenn Davis and Tex Coulter.