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Marie Tillman, the widow of former NFL star turned solider Pat Tillman, has officially weighed in on the fact that her husband is being politicized in a way he that would not have approved.
Her statement comes after President Donald Trump retweeted a photo of her late husband with the hashtags #StandForOurAnthem and #BoycottNFL.
https://twitter.com/jayMAGA45/status/912025733530341377
Here’s what Tillman had to say in a statement to CNN on Monday night…
“As a football player and soldier, Pat inspired countless Americans to unify,” Tillman wrote. “It is my hope that his memory should always remind people that we must come together. Pat’s service, along with that of every man and woman’s service, should never be politicized in a way that divides us. We are too great of a country for that. Those that serve fight for the American ideals of freedom, justice and democracy. They and their families know the cost of that fight. I know the very personal costs in a way I feel acutely every day.”
Tillman added: “The very action of self expression and the freedom to speak from one’s heart — no matter those views — is what Pat and so many other Americans have given their lives for. Even if they didn’t always agree with those views. It is my sincere hope that our leaders both understand and learn from the lessons of Pat’s life and death, and also those of so many other brave Americans.”
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Pat Tillman left his lucrative and very high-profile job playing safety for the Arizona Cardinals in 2002 eight months after the September 11 attacks to enlist in the U.S. Army. In doing so, he also turned down a three year, $3.6 million contract from the Cardinals. Sadly, he was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2004 at the age of just 27.
Regardless of your political leanings, the man was a true American hero who died in service for our country and definitely deserves to not be used posthumously in a way that his widow obviously disagrees with.