Oh, For God's Sake...

Ex-Football Star Likely 'Friendly Fire' Victim

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Cpl. Patrick Tillman, who spurned a $3.6 million football contract to join the U.S. war on terror, probably was killed by "friendly fire" while trying to protect his unit during a clash in Afghanistan last month, the military said on Saturday.

An investigation of the April 22 death of Tillman, 27, an ex-safety for the Arizona Cardinals whom the military had earlier said was killed by enemy fire, did not blame any individual by name, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

"While there was no one specific finding of fault, the investigation results indicate that Cpl. Tillman died as a probable result of friendly fire while his unit was engaged in combat with enemy forces," it said.