Pat Tillman Becomes Partisan Symbol in N.F.L. Conflict

Pat Tillman gave up a lucrative contract with the Arizona Cardinals to become an Army Ranger after the Sept. 11 attacks. He was killed in Afghanistan.For the many people who believe that N.F.L. players who kneel during the national anthem are disrespecting American armed forces, Pat Tillman was a perfect symbol.

But Marie Tillman, who was married to Corporal Tillman when he left a lucrative contract with the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army, has asked the hundreds of people invoking him in the debate over the players’ kneeling to stop “politicizing” his memory.

That group included President Trump, who on Monday retweeted an account praising the memory of the Cardinals’ star, who was killed…