The video
Pat Tillman Left the NFL for the Army. They Lied About How He Died. (opens in a new tab)
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Misleading Information from the Battlefield: The Tillman and Lynch Episodes, H. Rept. 110-858, September 16, 2008
The committee's report: the ambush and the friendly fire, the memo to three generals, the Silver Star, the memorial and when the family was told.
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Misleading Information from the Battlefield, hearing, April 24, 2007
Includes Kevin Tillman's testimony.
House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, The Tillman Fratricide: What the Leadership of the Defense Department Knew, hearing, August 1, 2007
Department of Defense Inspector General, Review of Matters Related to the Death of Corporal Patrick Tillman, U.S. Army, IPO2007E001, March 26, 2007
U.S. Army, “Army Announces Results of Further Review of Reports Related to Death of Cpl. Patrick Tillman,” August 1, 2007
The actions taken against the officers involved.
Associated Press, “Full text of Tillman memo to top generals,” NBC News, August 3, 2007
Associated Press, “Memo on Tillman contradicted medal citation,” NBC News, August 3, 2007
NFL Films, A Football Life: Pat Tillman, NFL Network, October 28, 2016
Interviews with his coaches and teammates.
Watch NFL Films' upload on YouTube (opens in a new tab)Air date at azcardinals.com (opens in a new tab)
ESPN E60, Pat Tillman: Life. Death. Legacy., November 7, 2024
Interviews with his mother, Dannie Tillman, and men from his platoon.
Watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab)ESPN press release (opens in a new tab)
The Shawn Ryan Show, “Pete Blaber - Delta Force Commander Exposes the Failures Behind Pat Tillman's Death | SRS #294,” April 6, 2026
Steve Coll, “Barrage of Bullets Drowned Out Cries of Comrades,” The Washington Post, December 5, 2004
Part one of Coll's investigation of the ambush. Part two, “Army Spun Tale Around Ill-Fated Mission,” ran the next day.
Read at washingtonpost.com (opens in a new tab)Seattle Times reprint (opens in a new tab)
NBC News, “Ex-NFL star Tillman makes ‘ultimate sacrifice,’” April 23, 2004
His contract, his enlistment with his brother Kevin, and his refusal to talk to the media.
John J. Lumpkin, Associated Press, “Former Sun Devil Pat Tillman Killed In Afghanistan,” April 23, 2004
His career and the Rams' 2001 offer.
Greg Garber, “Cardinals' Tillman tackles new challenge,” ESPN.com, May 31, 2001
Associated Press, “Manning's Deal A Rookie Record -- Contract Includes $11.6 Million Bonus,” The Seattle Times, July 29, 1998
Robert Collier, “Family Demands the Truth,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 25, 2005
Matthew B. Stannard, “In football and in life, Tillman was determined, independent,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 27, 2007
Associated Press, “Doctors Suspicious Of Tillman Bullet Holes,” CBS News, July 27, 2007
Associated Press, “Reprimands for 3 officers in Tillman case mild,” NBC News, August 10, 2007
NPR, “New U.S. Commander In Afghanistan To Be Tested,” May 26, 2009
Paul X. Rutz, “Honor Before Glory: Pat Tillman in Afghanistan,” HistoryNet, September 1, 2021
William Weinbaum and Jeremy Schaap, “Pat Tillman, his mom and the 20-year torment of a friendly fire death,” ESPN.com, April 22, 2024
Pat Tillman Foundation, Pat's Story
Sports Illustrated, “In Memory of Pat Tillman,” April 22, 2014
Rich Coleman, “Hoover Dam bypass bridge opens to traffic,” Las Vegas Sun, October 20, 2010
NBC 7 San Diego, “3,000 Miles on 5 Pairs of Shoes,” May 15, 2009
FOX 10 Phoenix, “Middle school renamed in honor of Pat Tillman,” April 24, 2018
Cronkite News, “Fifteen years ago, first-ever Pat's Run took place in Tempe,” April 16, 2020
ASU News, “2026 Pat's Run draws thousands of runners to honor Pat Tillman's legacy,” April 12, 2026
Jon Krakauer, Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman (Doubleday, 2009; updated paperback, Anchor, 2010)
Recommended reading, not a source for the video.
Mary Tillman with Narda Zacchino, Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman (Modern Times, 2008)
Recommended reading, not a source for the video. His mother's book.
The Tillman Story (2010), directed by Amir Bar-Lev
Recommended viewing, not a source for the video. The documentary about his family's fight for the truth.
Watch on Prime Video (opens in a new tab)
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
NFL Films (A Football Life: Pat Tillman, 2016); ESPN (E60: Pat Tillman: Life. Death. Legacy., 2024); The Shawn Ryan Show (#294, 2026).
News and archive photographs of Pat Tillman, the Arizona Cardinals and the Army Rangers.
Some archive photos and footage have no known original source. If one is yours, contact the channel and it will be credited or removed.