A Pro Athlete in the Iraqi War
Interesting article these few lines re-enforces the I am a “professional athlete and baby” attitude. Just when I was feeling proud of being a Chicagoan, Simeon Rice (he went to a school in the same conference at the same time I did) says crap like this…
“He really wasn’t that good, not really,” Rice said. “He was good enough to play in Arizona, [but] that’s just like the XFL.”
After several more promptings from Rome, Rice allowed, “I think it’s very admirable, actually. You’ve got to give kudos to a guy like that because he did it for his own reasons. Maybe it’s the Rambo movies, maybe it’s Sylvester Stallone, Rocky, whatever compels him.”
More likely, it was Tillman’s love for America, not to mention his brother, who also enlisted. In the aftermath of the interview, Rice’s remarks were seen as symptomatic of today’s privileged, self-centered professional athletes who have been enabled from their earliest playing days.
“A professional athlete’s career is self-indulgent almost by definition,” said Alan Klein, professor of sociology and anthropology at Northeastern University. “Risking your career and your life is not an easy decision. They’re content to wear a patch on the uniform for solidarity, but that’s the easy way out. Really, we’re all taking the easy way out.
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Jonathan,
Do you know tillman? I don’t - but how do you know? (I am asking curiously - not sarcastically)
Tillman was good enough to get a three year, $3.6 million contract which he gave up by choice to fight for his country.
Simeon Rice’s main motivation is probably just to keep his fat ass around 270.
Jonathan, you’re an idiot !!!! If you think for one minute that Rice’s intention wasn’t to belittle Tillman’s sacrifice by masking it as being critical of his playing ability, you are as stupid as you sound. Rice’s comments were intended for Tillman’s sacrifice but he couldn’t be that direct without drawing even more criticism so he took the indirect route and made it look as though Tillman wasn’t really giving up all that much…..the intent is the same, he only tried to soften the blow to save himself. Rice is a jackass who doesn’t belong in the same room or the same field as Tillman. His comments not only make him look like the selfish asshole he is but also show him to be the coward he is by attributing the negativity behind the comments to Tillman’s abilities instead. God bless people like Pat Tillman.
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sorry sean, but tillman was not that good of a player, and that remains a fact. His enlistment in the army was a result of his desire to fight for his country yes. but be honest.. sims comments are negative only to tillmans ability to play, not tillmans reasons for going to Irac.
and dont think for one minute that tillman was not one of those self induglent self centered athletes..