NFL Player Turns Marine

Via W. Thomas Smith, at The Corner, who wrote:

Jeremy Staat, a former NFL lineman who played for the Steelers, the Raiders, the Seahawks, and the Rams (and he was a good friend of Pat Tillman), has joined the U.S. Marines.

On The Today Show, this morning, he said Marines returning from Iraq say they "are giving out more Jolly Rancher candy to kids than they are slinging bullets."

And more from the AP: Ex-Lineman Follows in Tillman's Footsteps---

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- A former college teammate of Pat Tillman is following in his footsteps, leaving a career in professional football to join the military.

Pfc. Jeremy Staat, a former defensive lineman who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the St. Louis Rams, graduated from the San Diego Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Friday.

Enlisting "is probably one of the best decisions I've made in my life," Staat, 29, told The Associated Press after the ceremony.
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Staat said he was felt compelled to join the military after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks but Tillman, who was his roommate at Arizona State, advised him to stay with professional football until he qualified for retirement benefits.

"He told me, 'You're a good player, you need to get good play.' Then four months later, at his wedding, I learn he's going to the Army," Staat said. "I joked to him, 'You stole my idea,' and he said it had been in the process for a while."

Tillman's death gave him "more motivation" to enlist, Staat said. "I should have been there for him."
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"I never felt right about making the money I was making," he said. "We pay millions of dollars to professional athletes and entertainers, yet we pay military service people pennies to a dollar, and they're the ones risking their lives."

To enlist, the 6-foot-5 player said he dropped from 310 to 260 pounds. He said three months of boot camp training gave him a deeper appreciation for team camaraderie.

"It's about looking out for your fellow soldier, and being ready to take a bullet for someone," he said.

And more from The Marine Corps---

There were certain reasons for joining that went beyond the passing of Pat Tillman, according to Staat.

“The big reason was because I was just really disgusted with the amount of money entertainers get and what they pay troops overseas,” said Staat. “It didn’t seem right that we pay all those entertainers millions to catch a football and we pay our Marines pennies to a dollar to catch a bullet,” said Staat.

Determined to leave, Staat spoke with a recruiter and left as soon as possible.

“I came in two months early, like ‘Let’s get it on,’” said Staat. “I wanted to be a part of something that is going to live forever instead of getting trophies. What are trophies good for – collecting dust? Most trophies get thrown in the garage. Who knows where they go after that?”

Arriving at the depot, Staat did what he could to keep his past under wraps, but within five hours of his landing, his secret was out.

Staat said a drill instructor asked the 77-inch stack of muscle if he played football. “I played a little in college,” said Staat, who enlisted to become a machine gunner.

The drill instructor kept digging and eventually the truth came out.

“From what I knew of Marine Corps training, drill instructors are extremely professional,” said Staat. “With all the attention I’ve drawn to this platoon, they have done an awesome job being professional.”

When he started training, Staat took a different outlook on his environment than most recruits do during the first phase of boot camp. To him, playing for a team was temporary; being part of a legend was something people wouldn’t forget.

Since entering recruit training, Staat realized he wasn’t used to the strenuous environment.

“I’ve run three miles four times in my life, once at (Military Entrance Processing Station), and three times here,” said Staat.

Besides the physical training, boot camp is aimed to place stress on recruits to prepare them for stressful situations they may encounter on the battlefield.

Stepping away from the life of an entertainer to enjoy the priceless experience of Marine Corps boot camp, Staat said he couldn’t feel more at home.

“I would wake up every day and smile,” said Staat. “Recruits look at me like I am crazy, but I am just happy to be here; to be on a practice field as big as Camp Pendleton is crazy.”

(emphasis added)

What a great story and a great role model. Pfc. Staat knows what is right. Semper Fi to him!