Ex-NFL player
killed in action

By WND Staff

An NFL player who walked away from a $3.6 million contract in the prime of his career to become an Army Ranger was killed in Afghanistan, according to U.S. officials.


Pat Tillman (Photo: Arizona Republic)

Pat Tillman, 27, a former defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals, died last night at 7:30 local time in a firefight with militia forces in the village of Sperah, about 25 miles southwest of a U.S. military base at Khost.

U.S. troops frequently have engaged al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in the area.

“The enemy action was immediately responded to by the coalition patrol with direct fire and a firefight ensued,” a Pentagon press release said. “During the engagement, one coalition soldier was killed and two wounded.”

Tillman’s former head coach with the Cardinals, Dave McGinnis said he felt “overwhelming sorrow and tremendous pride” upon hearing the news, according to NFL.com

“Pat knew his purpose in life,” McGinnis said. “He proudly walked away from a career in football to a greater calling, which was to protect and defend our country. Pat represents those who have and will make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.”

McGinnis said Tillman – who according to news reports over the past two years did not accept interview requests about his military service – “always shunned the limelight, and I am sure he would want that continued, but his life deserves to be celebrated and for his story to be told.

“He and the people he served with are what make this country such a special place,” McGinnis continued. “It was an honor to be his friend and coach and I will miss him.”

White House spokesman Taylor Gross said Tillman “was an inspiration both on and off the football field.”

“As with all who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror, his family is in the thoughts and prayers of President and Mrs. Bush,” Gross said.

A member of the 75th Ranger Regiment from Fort Benning, Ga., Tillman’s decision to enlist was influenced by the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, several of his friends say.

“In sports we have a tendency to overuse terms like courage and bravery and heroes,” said Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill, according to the AP, “and then someone like Pat Tillman comes along and reminds us what those terms really mean.”

The Cardinals set up a memorial outside the team’s Tempe, Ariz., headquarters with Tillman’s No. 40 jersey in a glass frame alongside flowers and a pen for messages to his family.

Flags at his alma mater, Arizona State University, were flown at half staff by order of Gov. Janet Napolitano.

Tillman’s brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the Cleveland Indians’ organization, joined the Rangers at the same time, also for a three-year stint, and has served in the Middle East.

About 110 American soldiers have died in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, which began in late 2001.

$3.54 million pay cut

In a July 12, 2002, column in the Wall Street Journal, Peggy Noonan recounted how Tillman, who had set a Cardinals record in 2000 with 224 tackles, came back from his honeymoon seven weeks earlier and told his coaches he would turn down a three-year, $3.6 million contract and instead join the U.S. Army – “For a pay cut of roughly $3.54 million dollars over three years.”

“Those who know him say it’s typical Tillman, a surprise decision based on his vision of what would be a good thing to do,” Noonan wrote, noting after his 2000 season he was offered a $9 million, five-year contract with the St. Louis Rams but chose to stay with the Cardinals.

“But it was clear to those who knew Mr. Tillman that after September 11 something changed,” Noonan said. “The attack on America had prompted a rethinking.”

She quoted from a report by ESPN’s Len Pasquarelli, who wrote in a May 2002 article the “free-spirited but consummately disciplined” starting strong safety told friends and relatives that, in Pasquarelli’s words, “his conscience would not allow him to tackle opposition fullbacks where there is still a bigger enemy that needs to be stopped in its tracks.”

Tillman’s agent and friend Frank Bauer said, “This is something he feels he has to do. For him, it’s a mindset, a duty.”

Last December, Tillman made a surprise visit to his Cardinal teammates during a trip home.

McGinnis said at the time, according to the Associated Press, “For all the respect and love that all of us have for Pat Tillman and his brother and [his wife] Marie, for what they did and the sacrifices they made … believe me, if you have a chance to sit down and talk with them, that respect and that love and admiration increase tenfold.”