Former American football star Pat Tillman, who gave up a $3.6 million sports contract to join the US military's elite special forces, has been killed in Afghanistan.
US officials said Tillman was killed on Thursday in an intense firefight in southeastern Afghanistan as his Army Ranger unit hunted Al-Qaeda and Taliban guerrillas.
The 27-year-old soldier, who quit his National Football League career to fanfare in May of 2002, eight months after the September 11 attacks on America, becomes the most prominent American public figure killed in fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The White House said Tillman's family was in the prayers of President George W. Bush.
"Pat Tillman was an inspiration on and off the football field, as with all who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror. His family is in the thoughts and prayers of President and Mrs. Bush," said a White House spokesman, Taylor Gross.
Enlisting with his brother, Kevin, in the wake of the 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, Tillman turned down a $3.6 million contract from the Arizona Cardinals to become an Army Ranger for an annual salary of $18,000.
Tillman played for four seasons with the Cardinals, from 1998 to 2001.
Tillman was selected by Arizona with the 226th pick of the 1998 football draft - the league only selects 241 players - but the Arizona State University star emerged from training camp as the Cardinals' starting strong safety on defense.
During his military training period after leaving the Cardinals, Tillman declined interviews with reporters and refused to take the spotlight.
"I am heartbroken today by the news of Pat Tillman's death," said US Senator John McCain of Arizona.
"But there is in Pat Tillman's example...such an inspiration to all of us to reclaim the essential public-spiritedness of Americans that many of us, in low moments, had worried was no longer our common distinguishing trait," McCain added.
Filed by James Boylan
