The mother of Pat Tillman is unhappy with ESPN’s decision to give the award that bears her son’s name to Prince Harry.
At the annual ESPYs, the Pat Tillman Award goes to “a person with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that echoes the legacy of the former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger, Pat Tillman.” ESPN decided this year to give the award to Prince Harry for his service in the British Armed Forces and his work with the Invictus Games for wounded soldiers.
But Mary Tillman says Prince Harry’s work is not a good fit for an award that bears her son’s name.
“I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” Mary Tillman told the Daily Mail. “There are recipients that are far more fitting. 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 recognized.”
Last year the Pat Tillman Award went to the training staff of the Buffalo Bills for saving the life of Damar Hamlin.
Pat Tillman was a Cardinals safety who quit the NFL to join the Army less than a year after the 9/11 attacks. He died in Afghanistan in 2004 at the age of 27.