Prince Harry will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPY Awards on July 11.
.jpg "Prince Harry to Receive Pat Tillman Award for Service Amid Controversy - Pride Moment") |
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Prince Harry is set to receive the Pat Tillman Award for his work with the Invictus Games at the ESPY Awards on July 11 in Los Angeles. The award, which honors service and sacrifice, is named after Pat Tillman.
He was an Arizona Cardinals player who left his football career to serve in the military following the 9/11 attacks and was tragically killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004. Tillman was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his bravery.
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| Cpl. Pat Tillman, a former professional football player, became a US soldier and was killed in a friendly fire incident Credit: Reuters |
The ESPY Awards, presented annually by ESPN since 1993, recognize excellence in sports performance. Over the past decade, honorees have included Purple Heart recipients, Iraq war veterans, Army sergeants, Paralympic gold medalists, and the Buffalo Bills training staff for their life-saving actions during Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest incident.
Despite the honor, Harry faces criticism from Mary Tillman, Pat's mother, who expressed her discontent to the Daily Mail, saying, "I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award." She continued, "There are recipients that are far more fitting. There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans."
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| Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images |
Mary Tillman, Pat Tillman's mother, says ESPN awarded the honor to Harry without consulting her and believes there are more deserving recipients, describing Harry as “controversial and divisive.” Her response is supported by over 70,000 people who have signed a Change.org petition urging ESPN to “rethink” its decision to give the award to the prince.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams echoed Mary Tillman's sentiments, telling The Sun, "It's a very, very sad situation, and I think this is one of the reasons Mary Tillman, the mother of Pat, believes that Harry isn't fit, and that is a wasted opportunity. In my opinion, I think it's been a tragedy all round."
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| Prince Harry served as a forward air controller and Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. Matt Cardy/Getty Images |
The Invictus Games, started by Prince Harry in 2014, is an international sports competition for wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women, both active duty and veterans. The goal is to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation, and create a sense of community through sports.
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| Image: AFP/Getty Images) |
Prince Harry served in the British Armed Forces for ten years, including two tours in Afghanistan. His experiences with the challenges faced by military personnel led him to create the Invictus Games.
The 2024 ESPY Awards will also honor Steve Gleason with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage and Dawn Staley with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. Hosted by Serena Williams, the event will be broadcast live on ABC.
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