Jeremy Staat Jeremy Ray Staat ( born October 10 , 1976 in Bakersfield , California ) is a former American Football defensive end who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1998 and the St . Louis Rams for two games in 2003 . He also played for the Los Angeles Avengers arena football team . He is a United States Marine , and has served in Iraq . Football career . Staat was a two - sport star in Bakersfield High School in California , where he was All - Area selection . He then attended Bakersfield College , a junior college , for two years before transferring to Arizona State University . At ASU , Staat became friends with free safety Pat Tillman , and was a roommate with Tillman ' s brother for a semester . Staat and Tillman drank and partied hard during their college careers , and Staat initially did not understand why an NFL - bound player would require higher education . While playing for the Sun Devils , he won the Morris Trophy as the best defensive lineman in the Pac - 10 Conference in 1997 . In the 1998 NFL Draft , the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Staat with the 41st overall pick . He played three seasons in Pittsburgh , starting in eleven games in the 1999 season . He was cut by the Seattle Seahawks in 2001 , and began seriously considering joining the military after the September 11 , 2001 attacks . However Pat Tillman , who had quit a lucrative career with the Arizona Cardinals to become a U . S . Army Ranger after the attacks , talked Staat into staying in the league for at least three more games to earn his NFL retirement benefits . Staat eventually earned his pension during stint with the St . Louis Rams during the 2003 season . The following season , he joined the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League . During the 2004 season , he found Tillman had been killed in action in Afghanistan , in what was later revealed to be a " friendly fire " incident . The loss of his friend further reduced his interest in football , and he soon left the Avengers and professional football . Post - football career . Immediately after football , one of Staat ' s friends got him a job working at a Walgreens drug store . Staat , like Tillman ' s family , was dismayed by the United States Army ' s handling of the story surrounding Tillman ' s death ; himself noting that " The fog around his death was thickened by lies . " However , after spending time deciding on his own future , he opted to follow his deceased friend and teammate ' s example and join the military ; but instead of the Army , he joined the United States Marine Corps . Staat joined the Marine Corps in 2006 . He completed his recruit training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in March 2006 . ” The way I look at it , we ’ re spreading freedom , and you have to support the troops and you have to support the war , ” Staat , 29 , told KITV in Honolulu . ” You can ’ t just tell some Marine who just lost his buddy that we supported you but not the war , because in that case you ’ re basically saying that Marine , his buddy , just died for nothing . We ’ re one team . ” In March 2007 , Lance Corporal Staat deployed with 1st Battalion 3rd Marines for a seven month mission in Iraq . He was an infantry machine gunner and drove around in seven - ton armored trucks used to transport soldiers . Staat ' s Iraq tour was fairly quiet . His unit suffered two injuries and no one was killed in action . His opinions changed : " It wasn ' t a blood fest , like some people make it out to be . It was pretty controlled . We had a pretty good sense of security . My eyes were opened up . They < nowiki > [ the Iraqis ] < / nowiki > were just people . I expected to see guys running around with AK - 47s , shouting about Allah and shooting into the sky . " After returning from his tour , he started to have back , hip and heart problems . He was put on light duty and began the process of seeking a medical discharge . Reversing his previous opinion of higher education , Staat opted to return and finish his degree . He graduated from Arizona State University in 2009 . He plans to move back to his hometown of Bakersfield , marry , and pursue a master ' s degree in theology or public administration .