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Prince Harry Controversial Pat Tillman Award For service activities ESPY On Thursday night, he tried to make amends with Tillman’s mother, who had voiced opposition to his selection.
Mary Tillman She previously said she was “shocked” that the award was being given to a “controversial and divisive figure”.
During his acceptance, Harry thanked Mary Tillman, who was in the audience.
“The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends the greatest loss,” he said, appearing to refer to his mother, Princess Diana, who died in 1997 when he was 12 years old.
Prince Harry, as the founder of the Invictus Games, which provides athletic and therapeutic opportunities for injured veterans around the world, was introduced by three veterans and past recipients, including the 2017 recipient, Master Sergeant Israel del Toro Jr. of the U.S. Air Force.
“I stand here not as Prince Harry or the Pat Tillman Award recipient, but on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation and the thousands of veterans and service members from more than 20 countries who make the Invictus Games possible,” he said at the ceremony. “This award belongs to them, not to me.”
The Duke of Sussex attended the star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles with his wife Meghan Markle.
Despite the backlash against Prince Harry’s selection (such an onslaught that he considered turning down the award), ESPN defended him, saying his continued work as a co-founder and patron of the Invictus Games is “a cause worth celebrating.”
The Tillman Award follows the legacy of former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman, who enlisted after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and is given to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the world.
Tillman, a former Arizona Cardinals safety, served in Iraq and then Afghanistan before being killed by friendly fire in 2004.
