GLENDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 25: guard Daryn Colledge #71 of the Arizona Cardinals during the NFL game against the St. Louis Rams at the University of Phoenix Stadium on November 25, 2012 in Glendale, Arizona. The Rams defeated the Carindals 31-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Sacrifice, duty, warrior — these are all terms thrown around when talking about most NFL players. After all, they put their bodies and lives on the line on a weekly basis. However, for former Super Bowl-winning offensive lineman Daryn Colledge, those words have way more meaning.

That’s because after a year-long hiatus from the NFL, Colledge has decided to join the ranks of the United States Army National Guard.

He made his decision to serve public with this tweet:

Colledge won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers back in 2010, and played for three teams over a NFL career that spanned from 2006 to 2014. During that time he played 141 games, starting 137 of them in the process.

Many will automatically go to the Pat Tillman comparison, especially since Colledge was a member of the Arizona Cardinals and announced his decision around terrorist circumstances. However, Colledge is doing his part in a much more part-time fashion than Tillman did.

Instead of fully enlisting, Colledge is serving as a more part-time member of the Army. He’ll still receive boot camp training and have to report to both his state and federal government as needed as a member of the Army National Guard.

No doubt about it, it is rare to see a NFL player making the jump from gladiator on the gridiron to warrior for his country off it, and Colledge’s sacrifice should never be forgotten.

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About Andrew Coppens

Andy is a contributor to The Comeback as well as Publisher of Big Ten site talking10. He also is a member of the FWAA and has been covering college sports since 2011. Andy is an avid soccer fan and runs the Celtic FC site The Celtic Bhoys. If he's not writing about sports, you can find him enjoying them in front of the TV with a good beer!