Former Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman decided to leave the FBI in part because he didn’t believe in the agency’s role in enforcing immigration.
Tillman told “The Pivot” podcast in an episode this week that he left after eight years because of his conscience.
“I think some of the things they’re doing I personally didn’t agree with — immigration,” he said. “I didn’t agree with how the administration came in and tried to make individuals do things against their. … it didn’t sit right. An example being immigration. Everybody was told, ‘You’re going to go after the most dangerous criminals.’ But what you see on TV and what actually was happening was, people weren’t going after that. Personally that didn’t sit right with me, that didn’t sit right with my conscience. You have the ability to refuse an order.”
Tillman said the immigration push didn’t come from Chicago, but from Washington. He said he left on good terms and had “made enough money to where I could walk away” and be fine financially.
“I want to be on the right side of history when it’s all said and done,” he said.
Tillman said he still takes pride in the fact that, after doubting himself after first joining the FBI, he eventually felt he belonged.
“I actually doubted myself …” he said. “You’ve got scientists and accountants and the upper echelon of smart individuals.”
In high school, Tillman wanted to join the military. He vowed to work in public service when he retired. Tillman, who turned 44 in February, joined the FBI at age 36. He joked that when he was recognized during raids, he’d tell people they had bigger troubles than him.
In detailing the work the FBI did to keep people safe, Tillman said he was sent from his home 15 minutes away to the scene of the Highland Park shooting on July 4, 2022.
“It was a pretty gruesome scene,” he said. “Then it was, ‘All right, let’s go. This is what we’ve been training for. Let’s go find the guy that did this.'”
He went to two Pro Bowls and was named all-pro once during his Bears career, which ran from 2003-14. He spent his last two seasons with the Panthers. He was one of the 128 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which was released earlier this week. Only three to five players will be chosen from the list.