Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, accepts the Pat Tillman Award onstage during the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - Prince Harry received the Pat Tillman Award for Service on Thursday during the 2024 ESPY Awards, and addressed the late Army Ranger’s mother, who had criticized ESPN for honoring the royal.
Tillman’s mother, Mary Tillman, previously said she was "shocked" by ESPN’s choice of Harry, saying there are recipients working in the veteran community who would have been more fitting.
Harry served in the British military for 10 years, including two tours in Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot. He created the Invictus Games in 2014, which serves as a multi-sport, paralympic-style games for wounded or injured servicemen and veterans.
In his speech, the Duke of Sussex thanked Tillman’s widow, Marie, for her attendance and also acknowledged Mary Tillman.
"I’d like to begin by expressing my deepest gratitude to everyone at the Pat Tillman Foundation, led by Marie Tillman Shenton, who I’m so honored is here tonight," Harry said. "I’d also like to acknowledge the Tillman family, especially Mrs. Mary Tillman, Pat’s mother. Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect."
"The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses," Harry continued, bringing to mind the memory of his own late mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in 1997.
When ESPN announced in June that the royal would be this year's recipient of the esteemed Pat Tillman Award for Service, Tillman's mother criticized the choice.
"I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award," Mary Tillman told The DailyMail. "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," she said.
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The Pat Tillman Award for Service is given each year to someone with a connection to sports to positively impact the lives of others – echoing Tillman’s legacy.
Tillman, a former Arizona Cardinal, died in combat in Afghanistan due to friendly fire in 2004. He famously turned down a multiyear contract and upwards of $3 million to enlist in the Army after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.
Last year, the Buffalo Bills training staff received the award for their efforts that saved Damar Hamlin's life after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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The Pat Tillman Foundation – which Mary Tillman is not associated with – has been selecting recipients since the award was established in 2014. Mary has never been consulted or privy to recipients in the past, according to FOX News.
Prince Harry on Pat Tillman Award: It 'belongs to them, not to me’
With wife Meghan watching from the audience, Harry said he stood there accepting the award "not as Prince Harry, Pat Tillman Award recipient, but rather a voice on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation and the thousands of veterans and service personnel from over 20 nations who have made the Invictus Games a reality."
"This award belongs to them, not to me," he continued. "That said, it is of great importance to me to highlight these allies, athletes and their amazing families for their achievements, their spirit, and their courage at every opportunity, especially on nights like this, in front of people like you. Moments like these help us reach those that need Invictus the most and reduce the more than 20 veterans a day taking their own lives, in this country alone."
Harry served in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner, after which he founded the Invictus Games in 2014 to offer wounded veterans and servicemembers the challenge of competing in sports events similar to the Paralympics.
This year, the Invictus Games' marked its 10-year anniversary, which Harry said has been a decade of "witnessing life-changing impact and healing through sport," prompting applause from the crowd.
"And while so much progress has been made since those first games, the world outside seems to be in an even more precarious state," he added. "We live in an age marked by polarization and division. Conflicts rage around the globe. Anger and resentment towards those who are different seem to pervade societies everywhere."
"Our community challenges that," Harry said. "Our community proves that unity is not just possible, but formidable."
This story was reported from Cincinnati. The Associated Press contributed.