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Charles “Peanut” Tillman is considered to be one of the best defensive backs in Chicago Bears history, along with one of the more underrated cornerbacks recent memory. Tillman is a contender for the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, although he’s currently considered to be a dark horse to make it the first time due to a loaded class (Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and Calvin Johnson are among the front-runners).
Tillman retired in 2016 and has had a beyond interesting retirement, as he began training to be an FBI agent shortly after leaving football. He had earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Louisiana Lafayette, and the Chicago Tribune reported that Tillman became a working agent for the bureau in 2018.
So why is the NFL still sending him requests for drug tests?
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Charles Tillman Received Email Request for Drug Test From NFL
Tillman took to social media to share an odd email request from the NFL asking the retired star to submit to a drug screening. It wasn’t an old email that had somehow been reused or recirculated — it had COVID-19 precautions listed on it.
Tillman shared the email he received from the league asking him to take his “annual” drug test on his social media accounts. “Y’all know I retired, right? I’ll take it if y’all give me 5 more years of health insurance,” he wrote on Instagram.
Some players, including Le’Veon Bell, Eric Reid and Odell Beckham Jr. have said that the league hands out drug tests in a disproportionate fashion, often targeting black players. While that may or may not be the case, it seems the NFL can’t figure out who is active or retired, because Tillman wasn’t the only former retired Bears player who had received a drug test request.
Ex-Bears RB Matt Forte Also Received Request for Drug Test
Former Bears’ running back Matt Forte played with the team from 2008-15, and he retired after finishing his career with the New York Jets in 2017. After three years out of the league, he got the same email.
In response to Tillman on Twitter, Forte replied: “I got that email yesterday too! I’m with @peanuttillman add some more years to that health care #NFL.”
Forte and Tillman were having fun with the league, but there’s a weight to their words. When players are in the league for three or more seasons, they get five years of additional health insurance coverage after they retire — but that’s it. This refusal to take care of their retired players has long been a criticism many have had with the NFL.
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