With Veterans Day approaching, ESPN is rolling out content Thursday on the inspiring, but tragic story of former Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman.
The day will begin on ESPN.com with wide-ranging multimedia treatment and then an ESPN E60 one-hour episode will air on ESPN at 5 pm Arizona time. After that, it will be shown on ESPN+.
A network press release said the show, titled Pat Tillman: Life. Death. Legacy., “presents new reporting and interviews that shed light on the captivating story of one of the most famous soldiers in U.S. history, whose decision to turn down a multimillion-dollar football contract and enlist in the military drew major national news coverage during the War on Terror.”
Jeremy Schaap will host the program that “examines the role of military leadership in fateful decisions in the tragedy and in keeping the truth from Tillman’s family and the public for more than a month” and “focuses on the ongoing torment of Tillman’s platoonmates, compounded by a shared sense that commanders were never held accountable for their actions.”
Tillman’s mom, Mary “Dannie” Tillman, talks about her “long quest for answers and how she feels today about the platoon and commanders. She also describes what she suspected and ultimately concluded.”
There is also an exclusive interview with Pete Geren, former Secretary of the Army, who hasn’t publicly talked about what happened for more than 15 years. He “addresses the failures of the military in the aftermath of Tillman’s death.”
Also included in the one-hour show are interviews with members of the platoon who were there when Tillman was killed by friendly fire: Eric Godec, Steven Elliott, Don Lee and Bryan O’Neal.
ESPN said others interviewed include:
Pete Blaber: Retired Special Operations Commander and author of Common Sense Leadership Matters: Toxic Leadership Destroys
Dave McGinnis: Tillman’s head coach with the Cardinals
Terry Hardtke: Tillman’s coach at Leland High School in San Jose, Calif.
Jake Plummer: Teammate of Tillman at Arizona State and the Cardinals
Zack Walz: Tillman’s teammate with the Cardinals
Doug Tammaro: Arizona State University media liaison
Annette Hill: Therapist who works with veterans
Gene Lower: Cardinals photographer
In the past, ESPN has won MRE (Military Reporters and Editors) journalism awards for TV (Outside the Lines) and online specials in 2006 and 2014 and a 2007 Sports Emmy nomination.
Schaap wrote on X, “It was an honor to be part of the team that produced this show, which tells the story of how he lived, why he fought and how he died.”
Watch the show’s trailer here.
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