ESPN has addressed the backlash over Prince Harry being honoured at the prestigious ESPY Awards by reiterating they were honouring the Duke of Sussex’s work with The Invictus Games Foundation and its impact on the veteran community.
The prince is due to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPYS on 11 July for work he has done with the foundation.
The award is named in honour of Pat Tillman, an NFL player who enlisted in the US military after 9/11 and was killed in Afghanistan in 2004, aged 27.
It is given to people who use their connection to the sports world to positively impact the lives of others.
After the decision to honour Prince Harry was announced on 27 June, Tillman’s mother said she was “shocked”.
“I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award. There are recipients that are far more fitting,” Mary Tillman told the Daily Mail.
“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 recognised.”
ESPN responded in a statement, saying: “ESPN, with the support of the Tillman Foundation, is honouring 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 military service members and veterans around the world. While we understand not everyone will agree with all honorees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating.”
The Duke of Sussex, 39, was chosen for using sports to “change the world and make it more inclusive for marginalised and suffering communities”.
He recently celebrated the anniversary of the Invictus Games in the UK and on a tour of Nigeria with his wife Meghan Markle.
He founded the Invictus Games in 2014 to celebrate the sporting achievements of the wounded and sick service people.
The Invictus Games has thanked the ESPYS Awards for honouring the prince and the foundation’s “work to support the rehabilitation of the international wounded, injured or sick service community”.
A petition launched on 27 June and signed by nearly 32,000 people has urged ESPN to “rethink awarding the Pat Tillman Award to Prince Harry”.
It was started by Patti Mickel, who said the award should be representative of Tillman’s values and “honour someone who, like Tillman, has shown unwavering dedication to their squad and country”.
ESPN’s Pat McAfee too expressed his unhappiness with the decision.
“A lot of conversation about Pat Tillman’s name. American hero… Now there’s an award named after him, as there should be in the sports world because that is somebody who is the definition of selfless,” he told the Daily Mail.
“The worldwide leaders should celebrate sport, but doing something like this is obviously trying to p-ss people off. And it’s like there’s been numerous decisions of this type of thing over the last what? Decade?”
The Independent has contacted a representative for the Duke of Sussex for comment.
The Pat Tillman Award has in the past been given to people not directly connected to the sports world like Jake Wood in 2018 and Gretchen Evans in 2022.
Last year, it went to the Buffalo Bills training staff for their work in saving NFL player Damar Hamlin after he went into cardiac arrest during a game.