Pat Tillman Foundation supports honoring Prince Harry despite strong disapproval from Pat Tillman’s mother

The Pat Tillman Award is given to individuals that have played a pivotal role in serving others through the medium of sports.

Pat Tillman Foundation supports honoring Prince Harry despite strong disapproval from Pat Tillman’s mother

Prince Harry was awarded the Pat Tillman Award at the ESPYs (via IMAGO)

The Pat Tillman Award is an honor bestowed upon individuals with strong ties to sports who have had immense contributions to others. It is named after the former NFL player and US Army Ranger who lost his life bravely fighting for the United States of America in Afghanistan at the age of 27. This year’s pick of the award has stirred up controversy.

The winner of the Award is usually honored at the annual ESPYs, the flagship award function of ESPN. This year, the recipient of the award was Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex.

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This choice created a lot of controversy, the reason for this was because Mary Tillman, the mother of the late Pat Tillman came out and criticized him for being chosen as the recipient. Mary told the DailyMail the reason for her to object to the choice of this year’s recipients.

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There are recipients that are far more fitting. There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans. These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has, I feel that those types of individuals should be recognized.
Mary Tillman said

She is not pleased about the Duke of Sussex winning the award because he has an unfair advantage over the other candidates.

Prince Harry won the Pat Tillman Award for his contribution to conducting the Invictus Games

The network, however, was quick to jump in and clarify that Marie Tillman Shenton, the wife of Pat Tillman and the head of the Tillman Foundation supports their decision to award the honor to Prince Harry. 

ESPN, with the support of the Tillman Foundation, is honoring Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, specifically for the work of The Invictus Games Foundation as it celebrates its 10th year promoting healing through the power of sport for military service members and veterans around the world. While we understand not everyone will agree with all honorees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating.
ESPN’s official statement read
Prince Harry
Prince Harry (via IMAGO)

The Invictus Games is a free platform for international wounded, injured, and sick armed forces personnel, serving or veterans. It provides them opportunities for recovery through the means of sports, apart from allowing them to compete in sporting events, it is a community that offers peer-to-peer support, employment, volunteering, speaking opportunities, and more.

The Pat Tillman Award has historically been awarded to “a person with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that echoes the legacy of the former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger.” Last season, the award was bestowed upon the Buffalo Bills medical team who rushed to the aid of Damar Hamlin after he collapsed on the field with a cardiac arrest.

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