The mother of the late war veteran Pat Tillman, who inspired the award, questioned whether Prince Harry deserves to be recognized with the award.
It is no longer only in the United Kingdom where Prince Harry's bonds are going down. There is now evidence that, also in the United States, the youngest son of King Charles III has some detractors and is not as popular as he himself would like to think.
This is because a new controversy arose since Harry was awarded the Pat Tillman Service Award, a decision that was questioned by the mother of the late NFL player and war veteran (who inspired the award), which leaves the duke of Sussex in an unfavorable light, while on the other side of the world he continues his controversial trial against the British tabloids.
Mary Tillman, the mother of Pat Tillman, who died in Afghanistan in 2004 in a US army raid in that country, said in an interview with the Daily Mail that she was shocked when she learned of the decision to recognize Prince Harry with the award. which is named after his son.
The award ceremony will take place on July 11 as part of the ESPY Awards, awards given annually – since 1993 – by ESPN to the best in American sports.
On June 27, it was announced that Prince Harry would receive the Pat Till Service Award at the 2024 edition of the ESPY Awards, in order to recognize the impact that the holding of the Invictus Games has had on the community of war veterans. (founded by the Duke of Sussex in 2014).
This decision made Mary Tillman, mother of the late American athlete and soldier Pat Tillman, speak out against Harry and point out that there are other people with greater qualities to benefit from the recognition that bears the name of her son, who died at 27 years old in Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan, victim of “friendly fire.”
According to what was published by the British media, Mary Tillman has a very unflattering opinion of Prince Harry, whom she accuses of using his contacts and other privileges, given his position as a royal, to carry out work that other people do without counting. with the same resources as the Duke of Sussex.
“I'm surprised that they selected such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” Pat Tillman's mother told the Daily Mail in an interview, according to People.
“There are recipients (of the award) who are much more suitable. There are people working in the veteran community who are doing tremendous things to help veterans. These people do not have the money, resources, connections or privileges that Prince Harry has. I feel like those types of people should be recognized,” Tillman said.
ESPN responded to the controversy through a statement in which it points out the achievements made by Harry through the Invictus Games, a reason that the sports network considers sufficient to consider him for receiving the Pat Tillman award this year.
“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 the military, members of the service and veterans from around the world. "While we understand that not everyone will agree with all the honorees selected for any award, the Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating," the document reads.
Both Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have received various recognitions since moving to the United States, after resigning from their duties as senior members of the British Royal Family in 2020.
However, some of these awards seem to be the result of a good public relations team that is doing everything possible to build the good image and business of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. An example would be the Living Legends of Aviation award, which Prince Harry received last January at a gala in Beverly Hills, “for his work as a helicopter co-pilot and gunner in the British Army” precisely in Afghanistan, where he served as part of the British Air Force.
