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Fallen Hero
| quote: | Pat Tillman, Who Left NFL for Army, Killed in Action
By Chris Dolmetsch
April 23 (Bloomberg) -- Pat Tillman, the former National Football League safety who left the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, was killed in action in Afghanistan, the NFL said.
Tillman, 27, told the Cardinals after returning from his honeymoon in May 2002 that he was joining the Army with his brother in the hopes of becoming a Ranger. Kevin Tillman gave up a minor league baseball career in the Cleveland Indians organization.
``I am heartbroken today by the news of Pat Tillman's death,'' Arizona Senator John McCain said in a statement. ``The tragic loss of this extraordinary young man will seem a heavy blow to our nation's morale, as it is surely a grievous injury to his loved ones.''
The brothers completed basic and advanced infantry training in October 2002 and graduated from the Ranger Indoctrination Program in December 2002. They joined the 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Benning, Georgia, and served in the Middle East during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
U.S. Central Command declined immediate comment and didn't immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Tillman graduated from Arizona State University in 1998 with a marketing degree and highest honors. He was a seventh-round draft pick in 1998 and played in every game during his first three NFL seasons. He made 153 tackles in his last season, the third-highest total in the league.
$3.6 Million Contract
The Cardinals offered him a $3.6 million, multiyear contract before he left the NFL. Tillman's agent, Frank Bauer, had tried to convince the safety to wait until his NFL career was over before beginning his three-term enlistment.
In 2000, Tillman turned down a five-year, $9 million contract offer from the St. Louis Rams to stay in Arizona.
Cardinals President Michael Bidwill said he last saw Tillman in December when the safety attended a game between the team and the Seattle Seahawks. Bidwill described hearing the news of Tillman's death as a ``kick to the gut.''
``This is devastating,'' Bidwill said during a televised press conference. ``Pat was a special guy. It was my hope that he was going to finish his tour of duty and come back. We'd make another offer and have him come back and play for us.''
Declined Interviews
The Tillmans repeatedly declined requests to be interviewed about their military service. Tennessee Titans assistant coach Dave McGinnis, who coached Pat Tillman as head coach of the Cardinals from 2000 to 2003, said in a statement that the safety ``represented all that was good in sports.''
``He was not the first and won't be the last to give his life for his country,'' McGinnis said in the statement. ``He always shunned the limelight and I'm sure he would want that continued, but his life deserves to be celebrated and for his story to be told.''
The Rangers are a unit in the Army's special operations division, trained to attack in large groups and leave immediately after their mission is completed. About two-thirds of soldiers who enter the training program drop out.
Reaction was swift from the football fans and others across the country, who offered condolences to the Tillman family and praised Pat Tillman's sacrifice. Sean Wilentz, a professor of history at Princeton University, said people tend to take special notice of an athlete's death in war.
``When a celebrity dies in battle, it has a special impact on society, especially when it's an athlete,'' Wilentz said in a telephone interview. ``They are figures of male admiration, strength and courage in times of leisure. From gridiron to battlefield, people tend to take special notice of an athlete's death in war.'' |
My heartfelt thanks goes out to this true American Hero. He gave up a life of luxury as an athlete to battle Al-Queda head on after the events of 9/11 and serve his country. I know that for a fact. He gave the ultimate sacrifice in doing so. I knew the young man and his brother. This war can rip your guts out every day...
[[[smoke]]]
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