A Super Bowl-Winning Lineman Shares His Inspirational Reason For Joining The U.S. Army National Gaurd

You may not remember Daryn Colledge, a pretty solid offensive lineman who played for three teams from 2006-2014. Colledge appeared in 141 games during his NFL career and started 137 of them, with the highlight of his tenure coming when he was on the Green Bay Packers team that won Super Bowl XLV.

Since 2015, Colledge has been retired. He’s rested and taken his family on a European vacation, and now, Colledge wants to end his retirement. Well, kind of: he’s not returning to the NFL. Rather, Colledge is enlisting in the United States Army National Guard.

Colledge explained his decision in a letter that he posted to his Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon. He stressed that this was a tough decision, pointing out that he has the support of his family and friends.

Because Colledge has ties to the NFL and is joining the military, the natural comparison for him is Tillman, the ex-Arizona Cardinal who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004. Colledge – who, ironically enough, played for the Cardinals from 2011-2013 – responded to someone who made this comparison and said that Tillman is a hero.

While not all of the people who have tweeted at him have good things to say, all the credit in the world goes to Colledge. Like everyone who enlists in the military, this is a really admirable move and we all applaud him for his bravery and dedication to his country.

(via Fox Sports)