Prince Harry accepted the Pat Tillman Award For Service at the 2024 ESPYs after the late soldier’s mom blasted the decision to honor the royal.
After expressing his “deepest gratitude to everyone at the Pat Tillman Foundation,” Prince Harry specifically thanked Pat’s widow, Marie Tillman Shenton, and his mother, Mary Tillman.
“[Mary’s] 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,” he said in his two-minute speech as wife Meghan Markle looked on from the audience.
Harry went on to dedicate his award to the “entire service community,” but it was his comments about Pat’s mom that made the biggest impact.
After Harry, 39, was announced as the recipient of the prestigious award, Pat’s mom slammed ESPN’s decision to honor the Duke of Sussex for founding the Invictus Games, an international athletic competition for wounded and sick military members and veterans.
“I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” she told the Daily Mail last month.
“There are recipients that are far more fitting. Individuals are working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans,” she added.
Mary explained that those individuals “do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege” that the youngest son of King Charles III has.
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She also said that Harry is already famous and has already received numerous awards so this moment should have been given to someone who has never been in the spotlight.
Additionally, Page Six exclusively reported that Mary and her family members were kept in the dark about Harry being named as an honoree despite being notified about who the past recipients would be.
However, network insiders told us Mary has never been informed during the selection of past recipients and is not associated with the Pat Tillman Foundation — which helps ESPN determine the honorees.
Pat left the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the Army after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
He was killed by friendly fire during a roadside ambush in Afghanistan.
The ESPYs launched the Pat Tillman Award for Service in 2014 in honor of the late NFL star.
Past recipients include the Buffalo Bills training staff‚ who saved the life of NFL star Damar Hamlin after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field; Marcus Rashford, a soccer star who raised millions for food charity during the COVID-19 pandemic; Danielle Green, a former basketball player who was injured in military combat; and many more.
