Critics accuse the NFL of ''whitewashing'' Pat Tillman's death prior to the Super Bowl.
Football fans who watched the pregame coverage of Super Bowl LVII on Sunday witnessed a grand display of patriotism and militarism, including a ceremony honoring the Pat Tillman Foundation scholarship recipients.
Pat Tillman, a former Arizona Cardinals defensive back, left the NFL to enlist in the US Army following the 9/11 attacks. A friendly fire killed him in Afghanistan in April 2004. The circumstances of his death caused controversy as he was reportedly shot three times in the head at close range, and he was critical of the US's involvement in the Middle East before his death. Tillman had also planned to meet with anti-Vietnam War activist Noam Chomsky but passed away before he could.
Despite the friendly fire incident, the Army initially reported that Afghan combatants killed Tillman. It took more than a month for officials to inform his family that fellow soldiers had killed him.
During the pregame, Tillman was referred to as "killed in the line of duty." Fans took to Twitter to criticize the NFL for whitewashing Tillman's legacy. "Pat Tillman was a beautiful soul. That he thought the war in Iraq was 'illegal as hell' is not something to hide. It is part of what made his soul so beautiful," said Dave Zirin.
