Tillman: 'I Want To Go Out Like Mariano Rivera'
(WSCR) Charles Tillman isn't done playing football yet.
The Bears cornerback, who is currently on the injured reserved list with a designation to return after suffering a triceps injury last week, isn't eligible to return to his team until after the end of the regular season.
Though he's a free agent at the end of this season, Tillman joined Matt Spiegel and Laurence Holmes and assured Bears fans that they haven't seen the last of him.
"Mariano Rivera - I want to go out like him," Tillman said. "He got hurt and said, 'Naw, I'm not going out like that. I'll be back.' That's my goal. I can't go out with an injury and just call it quits. I can't do that.
Charles Tillman on with Spiegel and Holmes
"My goal for going out, as far as retiring from this game, I want to go out like Ray Lewis. He knew he'd played his last game at the Baltimore Ravens stadium. I don't dance as cool as he does, but he went around and it was like this joyous occasion. … To me, that's going out with style. That's going on with class. I kind of envisioned Lance (Briggs) and I doing something similar."
Tillman also said he has no desire to switch from cornerback to safety to prolong his career. When he's done playing corner, he's done playing football.
"I want to walk when I'm done," Tillman said. "I don't want to play football forever. I want to walk. Football is not everything. It doesn't define me. I want to play a couple more years at corner and when I'm done playing corner, I want to walk away and be able to coach my kids and run around with my kids."
