Pat Tillman’s widow asked that people refrain from politicizing her husband’s military service one day after President Donald Trump invoked the late Army Ranger and former NFL player’s memory in service of his campaign against NFL players’ political protests.
Marie Tillman urged the invocation of Pat’s memory as a unifying influence on the nation and decried attempts to employ his legacy in a divisive manner in a statement provided to CNN Monday night.
“As a football player and soldier, Pat inspired countless Americans to unify,” Marie wrote in the statement, which she told CNN she hoped Trump would read. “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,” she wrote.
Tillman, well known for his liberal views and criticism of U.S. foreign policy, died in a 2004 friendly fire incident in Afghanistan after walking away from a lucrative contract with the Arizona Cardinals to serve as an Army Ranger.
“Those that serve fight for the American ideals of freedom, justice and democracy,” Marie wrote. “They and their families know the cost of that fight. I know the very personal costs in a way I feel acutely every day. 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.”
Trump retweeted a message from a pro-Trump Twitter account Monday morning that used Tillman’s name and likeness to promote his recent vendetta against NFL players who kneel during the national anthem.
NFLplayer PatTillman joined U.S. Army in 2002. He was killed in action 2004. He fought 4our country/freedom. #StandForOurAnthem #BoycottNFL pic.twitter.com/k1FXHRoozY
— Ⓙay (@jayMAGA45) September 24, 2017
Trump sparked a cultural clash Friday night when he referred to NFL players who kneel during the national anthem as “sons of bitches” and implored team owners to fire players who refused to stand for the pre-game patriotic display.
The comments, made during a rally for Alabama GOP primary candidate Luther Strange, drew widespread backlash in the media and led to a sharp increase in the number of players kneeling for the national anthem Sunday, with some teams refusing to even take the field for the honorifics.
“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,” Marie’s statement concludes.
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