Former Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman recently met with Chicago’s rookies ahead of rookie minicamp to officially welcome them to the NFL.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus reached out to a number of alumni, Tillman included, to bridge the gap between the past and present. Eberflus recently praised Tillman’s inspiring message to the new rookies.
“To bring those guys back and to relay that message, that foundational core that those guys put together for this franchise is second to none,” Eberflus said. “Those guys, our new players, young players have to recognize that.
“The message Tillman had was outstanding the other day. Just about being a pro, being a Chicago Bear, and what that means to him and what it means to the fans and what it means to the city. To me, you can’t have enough of that.”
Now, the Bears have released part of Tillman’s speech to the rookies, where he addressed making the transition from college to the NFL, which is an entirely different beast, putting in the work to garner respect from veteran teammates and what they need to do to be embraced by the city of Chicago.
“I’ll share this quote with you,” Tillman said. “‘Differences are what make champions, not similarities.’ Whatever you can do to help this team win, you need to have that mindset right now. If you want to attain and be part of something special, which is what is in this room, you gotta think differently, and that starts right now.”
Watch Tillman’s speech to Bears rookies below:
