ASU football and Arizona Cardinals icon Pat Tillman is the subject of the new ESPN documentary

As Veterans Day approaches on Monday, a new episode of ESPN’s “E60” remembers the fascinating life and tragic death of former Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman and current Army Ranger Pat Tillman, who died by friendly fire in Afghanistan 20 years ago.

“Pat Tillman: Life. Death. “Legacy” is a one-hour program featuring new reports and interviews that tell the story of one of the most famous soldiers in U.S. history. Tillman turned down a multimillion-dollar NFL contract for military service after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The episode airs Thursday night at 5:00 p.m. MST on ESPN and is then available to stream on ESPN+.

Directed by Frank Saraceno and William Weinbaum and produced by David Seronick, “Pat Tillman: Life. Death. “Legacy” chronicles Tillman’s rise on the gridiron at Arizona State and the NFL and explains the role military leadership played in his death – and in keeping the truth from Tillman’s family and the rest of the world for weeks.

ESPN published an article on the topic Thursday morning.

It also includes interviews with some of Tillman’s platoon mates who were there when he was killed on April 22, 2004, at age 27. This came two years after he gave up his football career to help in the fight against terror.

According to the episode, many of those who were there when Tillman died have struggled with addiction, depression and suicidal thoughts for years, including Bryan O’Neal, who crossed the ridge behind Tillman on that fateful day.

“I probably thought a million times that this world would be a much better place if Pat had made it and I had died,” O’Neal said. “It was always my survivor’s fault.”

Tillman would have been 48 years old on Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ESPN airs new documentary on Arizona Cardinals, ASU icon Pat Tillman