Rod Blagojevich Delivers Moving Farewell Speech, Checks Into Federal Prison

From the positive tone he struck during an impromptu farewell speech, you'd never guess that former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich were headed to prison.

Yesterday marked the beginning of Rod serving 14 years - the longest sentence ever given to an Illinois politician convicted of corruption - behind bars.

Earlier Thursday, the former governor bounded down the stairs of his home as a throng of cameramen, photographers and reporters crushed around him.

There, he delivered this emotional goodbye speech ... belying the fact that this man once tried to sell President Obama's U.S. Senate seat for cash:

Rod Blagojevich Farewell Speech

The man who once was Illinois’ highest-ranking politician then checked in to Englewood Federal Correctional Institution, reporting in at about 12:45 p.m. CST.