April 23 (Bloomberg) -- Pat Tillman, a former player with the National Football League's Arizona Cardinals, was killed in action in Afghanistan, Cable News Network reported.

Pat and his brother Kevin joined the U.S. military after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Kevin Tillman left a minor league baseball career to join the military, CNN's Barbara Starr said.

Pat Tillman was accepted into the U.S. Army's elite Rangers unit in December 2002 after joining the Army earlier that year.

(Cable News Network 4-23)

To contact the reporter on this story: Dan Hart in Princeton at dahart@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 23, 2004 10:30 EDT