It looks like former Bears cornerback Charles Tillman wants to be an FBI agent, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Tillman, 36, played 13 seasons in the NFL, including 12 with the Bears. He was a member of the 15-1 Panthers team who made the Super Bowl in 2015. He retired last summer after signing a ceremonial one-day contract on July 22, 2016, to end his career with the Bears.
According to FBI guidelines, prospective candidates to be a special agent must be at least 23 years old but younger than 37 at the time of appointment. Tillman turns 37 on Feb. 23.
“We don’t speak about personnel matters,” special agent Garrett Croon, a spokesman for the Chicago bureau, told the newspaper.
Tillman, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, was named NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2013 for his charitable efforts. He is considered to be one of the best defensive backs in Bears history.
Tillman, who grew up in a military family, earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette before the Bears drafted him in the second round in 2003. Tillman attended 11 schools from kindergarten through 12th grade because his father, Donald Tillman Jr., was a sergeant in the Army.
The former defensive back, who supports children’s charities through his Charles Tillman Cornerstone Foundation, has long been active in military endeavors. In 2010, Tillman spent eight days on a USO tour visit with troops in Iraq and Kuwait and was selected as the winner of the NFL’s Salute to Service award in 2012.