Staat Grieves for Former Teammate Tillman

The death of Pat Tillman still weighs on the mind of Avenger lineman Jeremy Staat, a former college teammate.

Tillman, who played at Arizona State and then in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, was killed in a firefight April 22 in Afghanistan when his Army Ranger patrol was ambushed near the village of Sperah.

“It’s almost too much to even take in, to fathom,” Staat said Friday.

Staat said the experiences he shared with Tillman at Arizona State created a unique bond and friendship. He also lived for a time with Tillman’s brother Kevin, a former Sun Devil baseball player who was in the Cleveland Indians’ organization when he enlisted in the Army with his brother in 2002.

Staat said Pat Tillman “was not one of those friends I had to call every day. Before he left, he told my agent, ‘Take care of Jeremy. You know he’s crazy.’ As he’s getting ready to ship out, he’s worried about what I’m doing.”

Avenger officials told Staat to take as much time as needed to cope with Tillman’s death.

Staat was excused from practice Thursday but attended the team’s walk-through at Staples Center on Friday and is expected to play tonight against the Arizona Rattlers.

Staat said reminders of Tillman are everywhere, including the turf at Staples Center, which features an ad for one of the Arena Football League’s main sponsors -- the U.S. Army, which on Friday posthumously awarded Tillman the Silver Star for gallantry on the battlefield.

Staat said he will be thinking about Tillman when he attends a memorial service in San Jose on Monday -- and whenever he steps onto the field.

“It’s always going to be there,” he said.

TONIGHT

vs. Arizona, 7:30

Fox Sports Net 2

Site -- Staples Center.

Radio -- XTRA (690 and 1150).

Records -- Avengers 7-4, Arizona 7-5.

Record vs. Rattlers -- 1-0 (Avengers defeated Rattlers, 51-32, on Feb. 8 at Phoenix).

Update -- The Avengers have won three of their last four games. Quarterback Tony Graziani has passed for 72 touchdowns. Quarterback Sherdrick Bonner leads the Rattlers, who have a four-game winning streak.