NFL denies Plummer ability to honor fallen friend

Tim Rink / Columnist

When you think of Denver Bronco’s quarterback Jake Plummer, what do you think of? Until recently, I think of his few days as Jake “The Snake” and as a comeback artist in Arizona. A lot of people remember his lowlight interception against Kansas City in week two, the cross-bodied, out-of-my-own-end zone, what-was-I-thinking pass. With sports news being dominated by “bad guys,” you just might miss the most significant event of his career. His line was decent last week, 17 of 29 for 236 yards, two touchdowns, two picks. There were two more important numbers in play last week, 40 and 5,000. Forty is the number of Plummer’s former pro and college teammate Pat Tillman, and $5,000 is the amount that Plummer was fined for wearing a decal celebrating the life and sacrifice of his fallen friend. Plummer said that he doesn’t plan to stop wearing it.

Tillman was a safety for the Cardinals who walked away from the game after last season. He turned down a three-year, $3.6 million contract extension with the Cardinals so he could join the Army because he believed that it was time to try and give something back. Tillman became an Army Ranger, the most elite and powerful arm of the service. He was killed in Afghanistan in April. The NFL had every player in the league wear a number 40 decal on their helmets during week four, the same week that the Cardinals retired his jersey. The Cardinals are going to continue wearing the decals for the rest of the season, but all other players were just to wear them for one week. Plummer said he wouldn’t take the sticker off.

So why is he in trouble? The NFL has a rule against personalization of uniforms and players who don’t have their jerseys tucked in, players who write numbers on their helmets, and players who modify their jerseys are all subject to a fine. Plummer has been lobbying the NFL to let any player who chooses to do so wear Tillman’s number all season. He said there were so many people who had become close to Tillman and had wanted to pay tribute to the man. Plummer said that it was too hard to tear the sticker off his helmet.

We’ve all seen the NFL commercials promoting their service to the community. A large portion of that contribution comes from fines. Every time a player incurs a fine for an illegal hit, or a jersey fine, the money goes to charity. The NFL’s charity is the United Way. Plummer is lobbying the NFL to have his fines, which should add up to over $50,000, go to the Pat Tillman Foundation. The foundation was established to promote those who strive to make a positive difference in the world. Plummer seems to know what’s important.

A friend recently asked me if I could define the word ‘good,’ and it was a lot harder than it seems. The best I could come up with was something that made the world an inherently better place by creating happiness. Tillman was good manifested in a league that has seen so much evil. Ty Law still isn’t playing, because he needs more than the millions he’s making to feed his family. Several years ago Tillman turned down a contract that would have given him double the money and a chance to leave the worst team in the league for a contender, because he wanted to stay with his team and his city. Randy Moss said that he “plays when he wants to.” Tillman played hard at practice every day, and worked hard for what he knew was right in his community. It seems like everyone is trying to come up with a better way to taunt opposing players and fans when they only do their job. Tillman went above the call of duty, and would not allow anyone to interview him about it, because he didn’t want any praise.

So what type of praise will be showered down on Plummer because of his acts? He wasn’t mentioned on ESPN.com, CNNsi.com, or the Denver Bronco’s web site. He won’t be showered with praise by sportscasters. He’ll go about his business, his acts will be a side note to fill dead air, and his wallet will be significantly lighter. He’ll go completely unnoticed, and I’m sure that will be fine with him. Because Plummer isn’t doing this because the media wants him to, or because his fans want him to, he’s doing it because it’s what Tillman would have done.