True hero athlete. Day's theme: Challenge yourself [Pat Tillman]

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | May 3 2004 | Gwen Knapp

[Soundman4x4]

Tillman's youngest brother, Rich, wore a rumpled white T-shirt, no jacket, no tie, no collar, and immediately swore into the microphone. He hadn't written anything, he said, and with the starkest honesty, he asked mourners to hold their spiritual bromides.

"Pat isn't with God,'' he said. "He's f -- ing dead. He wasn't religious. So thank you for your thoughts, but he's f -- ing dead.''

What? This didn't happen for God, as well as country? A professional athlete turned soldier, and we're supposed to believe that he'd have no use for piety? Robbed of a cliche, where does that leave us?

[Soundman4x4]

So Tillman's atheism makes it less of a sacrifice? What's the point of the article??

[Howlin]

Did his brother really say that?

[martin_fierro]

Ironically, Pat died so that his brother could speak like an idiot.

[swarthyguy]

If that's what he believes, that's his right to say so.

Nothing wrong.

[The G Man]

Ya got me. Weird article. And I'm guessing that glass of guiness that was poured at the end wasn't his brother's first that day.

[abc1]

This is from the SF Chronicle.
Its credibility is suspect from the get go.

[Bella_Bru]

He might have been responding out of pure grief.

Why people think those in mourning are always to be perfectly polite is beyond me.

[snooker]

"Did his brother really say that?"

I heard his brother talk, didn't hear this at all. He was shook up and disheveled, but didn't hear this said.

[The G Man]

There's a time and a place for everything. That was neither.

[anniegetyourgun]

If he did, you can count on the SF Chron to yell it from the hilltops....

[isthisnickcool]

In the case of Tillman's youngest brother it appears that Andy Warhol was wrong. It's 15 seconds. Not minutes.

[Dick Grayson]

And San Francisco is F'n useless. So why does anyone give this rag the time of day.

They ought to call it "The Whining Chronicle"

Tell them to go write stories about how their city has become the Sodom and Gomorrah of our day.

I can appreciate this youngster's emotion due to what has turned into a press circus not allowing his family to be in peace with all of this. But perhaps he should trust his own older brother's judgement. His little tirade doesn't exactly exude confidence in his own brother's judgement now, does it!

[alisasny]

Well they were all drinking guiness beer when they went up to the podium and he was cursing up a storm. I dont know if those were his exact words but he was pretty angry IMHO.

[Dog]

Yes he did.........he seemed to be in alot of pain.

I hope they watch the kid....he seems to be very unstable.

[Old Sarge]

Did his brother really say that?

::sheep voice::

"It's in pri-i-i-nt, so it mu-u-u-st be tru-u-u-e!"

And that's what The Sheep will believe.

[Soundman4x4]

Tillman had a brother serving in Iraq. Don't know if this is the one.

[Grig]

Pat Tillman is not an atheist anymore, and his brother needs to learn some manners.

[Dr Snide]

only a San Francisco paper could somewho connect Pat Tillman dying in war to the tolerance of homosexuals. What a bizare little world thay must be.

[Trust but Verify]

The audio cut out during this part of the ceremony. You could read his lips for the 'f' words. I wondered at the time about the context of saying those words. This explains it.