In the Army

Cardinals' Tillman gives up NFL career to serve country

Pat Tillman has always defied convention. Tom Hauck/Allsport

PHOENIX (AP) -- Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman is giving up the NFL for the Army.

Tillman said Thursday he is enlisting in the Army for three years. Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis said Tillman, a two-year starter at free safety, wants to go through boot camp and join the elite Rangers program with his younger brother, Kevin, an infielder who spent last year with the Cleveland Indians' organization.

"This is very serious with Pat," McGinnis said. "It's very personal, and I honor that. I honor the integrity of that. It was not a snap decision he woke up and made yesterday. This has been an ongoing process, and he feels very strongly about it."

Tillman, a California native who was married two weeks ago and returned from a honeymoon in Bora Bora on Monday, talked to Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill, McGinnis and defensive coordinator Larry Marmie in separate interviews Wednesday. He could not be reached for comment.

His agent, Frank Bauer, called the decision consistent with his client's contemplative, nonmaterialistic nature.

SI's Tim Layden Right up his alley  Some people might find it shocking that Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman, a four-year NFL veteran, is leaving pro football to enlist in the Army. I don't find it shocking at all because Tillman is the antithesis of everything associated with the modern professional athlete. Full Story   SI Flashback A Cut Above  Most football players fit into a box. They're big, fast and strong (duh); they submit to authority without resistance; and if asked to define introspection, they would say it's what happens when the defense picks off a pass. Those who don't fit into the box rarely succeed at a major program. Then there is Arizona State senior linebacker Pat Tillman. Full Story

Tillman, an unrestricted free agent, spurned a $9 million, five-year offer sheet from the St. Louis Rams in 2001 and allowed a multiyear deal with the Cardinals to sit on the table this spring despite Bauer's urging to sign.

"This is very consistent with how he conducts his life," Bauer said. "Patty is the type of guy who is very smart and very loyal. I remember when the Rams made their offer, he said, 'No, I want to stay with the Cardinals. If I have to play for the minimum, I don't care.' He axed the offer sheet and played another year. But he's always had a blueprint for what he wants to do. Now everything else is on the back burner."

Tillman, 25, never tired of football, but felt his hand was forced by the military's age restriction on entry in special forces units, Bauer said. The agent said Tillman hopes to resume his NFL career when his enlistment is up.

Newlywed Marie Tillman supports her husband's decision to leave one rugged profession for a more dangerous one, Bauer said.

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

He warmed up for last year's training camp by competing in a 70.2-mile triathlon in June, and he finished his fourth NFL year with 478 career tackles and three interceptions.

As a scholar, Tillman carried a 3.84 grade point average through college and graduated summa cum laude in 31/2 academic years with a degree in marketing.

"The guy has got something to him, and that's why I wanted him on the team all these years," McGinnis said.

 

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