The family of former NFL player and Army hero Pat Tillman said his brother Richard Tillman has been “battling severe mental issues for years” after the news of his arrest for allegedly driving his car into a San Jose, Calif. post office around 3 a.m. Sunday.
Pat left his NFL career as a safety with the Cardinals to serve as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan before dying in a friendly fire incident in April 2004 at the age of 27.
In a statement to NBC Bay Area, Kevin Tillman, the brother of Pat and Richard, explained that Richard “has been livestreaming what I’ll call his altered self on social media” and that their family has been unsuccessful in their attempts to get him proper care.
“Our family is aware that my brother Richard has been arrested. First and foremost, we are relieved that no one was physically harmed,” Kevin said in the statement, referring to no injuries being reported in the overnight fire that the crash caused. “We have limited information at this time but we are in communication with local authorities and are providing as much background and context as we can.
“To be clear, it’s no secret that Richard has been battling severe mental health issues for many years. He has been livestreaming, what I’ll call, his altered self on social media for anyone to witness. Unfortunately, securing the proper care and support for him has proven incredibly difficult – or rather, impossible. As a result, none of this is as shocking as it should be. We have nothing further to add at this time.”
Kevin told the outlet that the family is “devastated but not surprised” about what happened due to his struggles with his mental health.
Richard, 44, was taken into custody by cops on the charge of arson in San Jose on Sunday.
He reportedly is being held on $60,000 bail and is due in court on Wednesday.
The suspect allegedly told officers on the scene he is the brother of late NFL star, Pat Tillman, and that he live-streamed the event on a social media platform.
U.S. Postal Inspector Matthew Norfleet said investigators are considering the fire an intentional act and are investigating if the incident was livestreamed.
Richard’s YouTube page, which has since been deleted, illustrated a mission to bring down the government, according to NBC Bay Area, adding that those videos are being investigated.
Pat served multiple tours of duty, including Operation Iraqi Freedom, before he was killed during a mission in Afghanistan in 2004.
He was awarded ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2003, and was posthumously awarded the Army’s Silver Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal.