I remember Charles Tillman as a fun player with a preternatural gift for causing turnovers, and though I have never been a Bears fan, I remember rooting for him personally out of appreciation for his mastery of the forced fumble and the defensive touchdown. Those were happy times, and like virtually all the other happy times, as of 2018 they are officially over: according to a Sporting News report, Charles Tillman is now with the fuzz:
Former Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Tillman has graduated from the FBI’s Training Academy in Quantico, Va., and is now an agent, Sporting News has learned.
The 13-year NFL veteran entered the 20-week program last year, as first reported by the Chicago Tribune, and had until his 37th birthday (Feb. 23, 2018) to earn his badge due to a stipulation that a new agent must be appointed before he or she reaches that age.
This, uhh, developed quickly: the Chicago Tribune had Tillman “recently” beginning FBI training at Quantico in September of 2017; if this Sporting News report is correct, Tillman went from an FBI-admirer with no background in law enforcement (although he did major in criminal justice at University of Louisiana-Lafeyette) to a full-fledged agent in, like, maybe six months? Is that how that goes?
At any rate, Tillman is the first former football star to pursue a career with the FBI after a devastating knee injury cut short his playing career since Johnny Utah.