Former Chicago Bears defensive back Charles "Peanut" Tillman has been training to become an FBI agent since retiring from football after the 2015 season. Today, he officially graduated from the FBI's Training Academy in Quantico, Virginia, according to Sporting News.
Tillman entered the 20-week program last year but had to wait until his 37th birthday, which is today, February 23, 2018, to earn his badge due to a stipulation. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, "FBI guidelines mandate prospective candidates for hiring as a special agent must be at least 23 years old but younger than 37 at the time of appointment."
Before being drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft, Tillman received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. He also grew up with a military background - his father was a sergeant in the United States Army. Additionally, his uncle was in the Army for 30 years and his mother-in-law is a Marine.
In an interview with Make It Better Magazine in July of 2016, Tillman spoke about his appreciation for law enforcement and his interest in helping out.
Per Make It Better,
"So I'm all about our military and supporting our men and women in uniform," he said. "[I'm also interested in] helping police officers and law enforcement, I'm big into that. A lot of my friends are law enforcement officers, and [I like to] support them as well."
Tillman retired as a member of the Carolina Panthers after the 2015 season, but he spent 12 of his 13 years in the NFL as a member of the Bears. In 2013, Tillman received the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, which recognizes one NFL player per year for his excellence on and off the field.
