Happy Retirement Charles Tillman

Veteran cornerback Charles Tillman announced his retirement from the NFL yesterday after 13 seasons (12 with the Chicago Bears, 1 with the Carolina Panthers). Tillman holds a special place in my heart because of the integral role he played in me becoming a Bears fan over a decade ago. He never commanded the spotlight like his teammates Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs did during the Bears reign of defensive dominance from 2005 through 2010, but his excellent cover skills, relentless physicality and trademark "Peanut Punch" that led to a remarkable 44 forced fumbles for his career made him a force and the unheralded heart and soul of those havoc-wreaking, takeaway-happy units. In addition to being one hell of a player, he's the rare athlete that's a legitimately great human being. His track record with charity work is remarkable and you'll be hard-pressed to be find a person involved with the NFL in any capacity that has anything but glowing things to say about him. It was a privilege to watch Tillman play for all of these years and I hope he enjoys a prosperous and happy retirement.