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The football world recently paid their respects to former Arizona Cardinals safety and fallen hero Pat Tillman. The New York Jets superstar Aaron Rodgers also shared his thoughts on Tillman’s 20th death anniversary.
Tillman was drafted by the Cardinals in the 1998 NFL Draft, and he played for the Cardinals until 2002. Eight months after the 9/11 attacks, Tillman turned down the new contract offered by the franchise and joined the U.S. Army to serve his nation.
Tillman participated in campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan before passing away on April 22, 2004. 20 years on, Aaron Rodgers shared a post on his Instagram with a broken heart emoji. The post that Rodgers shared had the caption:
“The Hero: Pat Tillman walked away from a multi-million-dollar NFL contract to join the army and became an icon of post-9/11 patriotism. When he was killed in Afghanistan two years later, he became a tool for White House propaganda. Thus, a legend was born. But the real Pat Tillman was much more remarkable, and considerably more complicated, than the fiction sold to the public.”
Rodgers shared the post with more than two million of his followers on the social media platform. The 40-year-old Jets QB, through this post, highlighted the controversy behind Tillman’s death, which would be revealed after a lengthy investigation.
After Tillman’s death, the army claimed that the former NFL player died due to enemy fire. However, after an investigation, it was exposed that the Purple Heart awardee died because of friendly fire.
Aaron Rodgers isn’t the only one to honor the hero
Over the past few days, Tillman has received an outpouring of love and appreciation from all corners of the football world. Tillman's former team, the Cardinals, also have a special plan to honor Tillman’s legacy in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft.
Tillman was the overall 226th pick in the 1998 draft and this year, the Cardinals once again possess the 226th draft pick. Hence the franchise has decided that this pick will be announced by a recipient of Pat Tillman scholarship.
