Athletes Who Were Taken From Us Way Too Soon

Pat Tillman Declined a $3.6 Million Contract To Join The Army

Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images

The safety would trade in the football cleats for the camouflage after 9/11. Tillman served in both Afghanistan and Iraq before he was killed in a friendly fire incident in 2004.

His bravery has become a cornerstone tale of heroism in America and the sports world as well. The next football player ahead didn’t join the army, but it was one of the most heartbreaking stories in the NFL. More on that later.