Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman tweeted Thursday that his wife will deliver their child on Monday, so he'll be able to play Sunday night against the Houston Texans.
Tillman tweeted to the account of ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike In The Morning": "god, family, football... Baby is coming Monday don't worry I'll be there Sunday."
On Wednesday, Tillman created a stir when he said on WSCR-AM 670, "The wife is due any day, so hopefully this baby can stay in until after the game on Sunday. I hope she stays in -- I'm having another girl. Monday, for sure, but if she comes Sunday, I think I'm going to have to be at the hospital Sunday. So, I hope she stays in until after Sunday."
Tillman downplayed the possibility of missing the game after practice Wednesday.
"Man, you all are looking too much into that right now," Tillman said. "Next question. You all are looking way too much into that."
Tillman has a son and two daughters, including Tiana, who was born with a form of cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart and its pumping system that required a heart transplant in 2008.
"At the end of the day, (family is) all you have," Tillman said. "This game is important to me, but after what we went through with my middle child (Tiana), to me football will always be second or third in my life. That was a great lesson learned to teach me that when I'm done playing football my family will still always be there for me."
Tillman, who was the NFC defensive player of the month for October, is having one of his best seasons with seven forced fumbles, two interceptions and two touchdowns.
Tillman is tied with teammate Lance Briggs for the NFL lead with two interceptions returned for touchdowns this season and the Bears have seven as a team. According to ESPN Stats & Information, only two teams in NFL history have had more interceptions returned for a touchdown in a single season -- the 1961 Chargers (9) and the 1998 Seahawks (8).
If Tillman were forced to miss the game, the Bears would be expected to turn to veteran cornerback Kelvin Hayden to cover Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson.
ESPNChicago.com's Jeff Dickerson and Michael C. Wright contributed to this report.