Centrisity

NFL Player dies in Afghanistan

From CNN:

CNN: Former Cardinals safety was serving in U.S. Army in Afghanistan
Posted: Friday April 23, 2004 10:53AM; Updated: Friday April 23, 2004 11:03AM


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former NFL player Pat Tillman was killed Thursday while serving as an Army Special Forces soldier on a mission in southeastern Afghanistan, Pentagon officials have told CNN.

Tillman, who walked away from a $3.6 million contract as a safety with the Arizona Cardinals to join the military after the Sept. 11 attacks, was in an area where numerous U.S. troops have been killed in battles with suspected al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.

He was serving as an Army Ranger, part of the Army's Special Forces. Tillman played for the Cardinals from 1998-2001.

More details are forthcoming.

[UPDATE] CNN has updated the story linked above:

He was serving as an Army Ranger, part of the Army's Special Forces. Tillman was a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a formal announcement was expected later in the day.

Spokesmen at the Pentagon and U.S. Army declined comment.

There were no immediate details on his death.

A military official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that a soldier had been killed in action in Afghanistan on Thursday, but could not confirm that the soldier was Tillman.

Tillman played four seasons with the Cardinals before enlisting in the Army in May 2002.

His brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the Cleveland Indians' organization, also joined the Rangers and served in the Middle East.

He made the decision after returning from his honeymoon with his wife, Marie.

Tillman's brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the Cleveland Indians' organization, also joined the Rangers and served in the Middle East. They committed to three-year stints in the Army.

Tillman's agent, Frank Bauer, has called him a deep and clear thinker who has never valued material things.

In 2001, Tillman turned down a $9 million, five-year offer sheet from the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams out of loyalty to the Cardinals, and by joining the Army, he passed on millions more from the team.

Tillman turned aside interview requests after joining the Army. In December, during a trip home, he made a surprise visit to his Cardinal teammates.

"For all the respect and love that all of us have for Pat Tillman and his brother and 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," Coach Dave McGinnis said at the time. "It was a really, really enriching evening."

It was not immediately clear when Tillman went to Afghanistan.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Tillman was distinguished by his intelligence and appetite for rugged play. As an undersized linebacker at Arizona State, he was the Pac-10's defensive player of the year in 1997.

He set a franchise record with 224 tackles in 2000 and warmed up for last year's training camp by competing in a 70.2-mile triathlon in June.

Tillman carried a 3.84 grade point average through college and graduated with high honors in 3 1/2 academic years with a degree in marketing.

"You don't find guys that have that combination of being as bright and as tough as him," Phil Snow, who coached Tillman as Arizona State's defensive coordinator, said in 2002. "This guy could go live in a foxhole for a year by himself with no food."

Tillman and his brother Kevin last year won the Arthur Ashe Courage award at the 11th annual ESPY Awards.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

My hopes and prayers go out to all those who have experienced loss in our fight for freedom!