{"id":111091,"date":"2024-07-12T01:34:51","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T01:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/12\/prince-harry-accepts-pat-tillman-award-at-2024-espys-after-backlash\/"},"modified":"2024-07-12T01:34:51","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T01:34:51","slug":"prince-harry-accepts-pat-tillman-award-at-2024-espys-after-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/12\/prince-harry-accepts-pat-tillman-award-at-2024-espys-after-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"Prince Harry Accepts Pat Tillman Award at 2024 ESPYS After Backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Prince Harry<\/strong><\/a> received the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPY Awards despite the backlash surrounding the honor.<\/p>\n

The Duke of Sussex, 39, accepted the award at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 11. He began his acceptance speech by thanking Marie Tillman Shenton<\/strong>, cofounder of the Tillman Foundation and acknowledging the rest of the Tillman family, including Pat\u2019s mother, Mary Tillman<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Mary\u2019s] advocacy for Pat\u2019s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect. The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest honors,\u201d Harry shared with the crowd. \u201cThe truth is, I stand here not as Prince Harry, Pat Tillman Award recipient but rather a voice on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation and the thousands of veterans and service personnel across 20 nations who have made the Invictus Games a reality. This award belongs to them, not to me. That said, it is of great importance to me to highlight these allies, athletes and their amazing families for their achievements their spirit and their courage at every opportunity, especially on nights like this in front of people like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

The prince explained that over the past decade, the games have helped reduce the number of veteran suicides, sharing that the \u201cspirit\u201d of the Invictus Games \u201ctranscent race, time and borders,\u201d were \u201cborn from unity\u201d and \u201cexude purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>What to Know About the 2024 ESPY Awards: Nominees, Airdate and More<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tIt is once again time for the biggest stars in sports to descend on Los Angeles for the ESPY Awards. The 32nd annual awards show will take place at the Dolby Theatre for the third consecutive year, with everyone from Patrick Mahomes to Caitlin Clark and even Prince Harry up for an award. The ESPYs [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAnd while so much progress has been made since those first games, the world outside seems to be in an even more precarious state. We live in an age marked by polarization and division. Conflicts rage around the globe,\u201d he continued, noting that the Invictus community \u201cchallenges\u201d differences and \u201cproves that unity is not just possible but formidable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe beauty of the Invictus Games lies in how it brings people together no matter one\u2019s nationality, background or personal struggles. It is a collective, build from courage and mutual respect,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhere athletes discover time and time again the common denominator of their humanity.\u00a0 Having survived the crucible of armed combat and the forged through the challenge to rebuild bodies and mind impacted through conflict, they form a family. The exemplify the very best in all of us. There is a military expression that dates back to Roman times. \u2026 The phrase translates roughly to \u2018Leave no one behind.\u2019 \u2026 I have no doubt Pat Tillman and his comrades lived by those words.\u201d<\/p>\n

He ended his speech by making a promise that \u201cno matter the road ahead\u201d the Invictus Games will leave \u201cno one behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Pat Tillman Award<\/a> is given to an individual with a strong connection to sports who has helped others in a way that honors Tillman\u2019s legacy. Tillman, who was a safety for the Arizona Cardinals from 1998 to 2001, was killed in combat while serving as a U.S. Army Ranger in Afghanistan in 2004.<\/p>\n

Harry was recognized for his 10 years of service in the British Armed Forces and for cofounding the Invictus Games<\/a>, an international event in which active and veteran service members who have been wounded, injured or sick compete in sporting events.<\/p>\n

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Previous recipients of the Pat Tillman Award include soccer star Marcus Rashford<\/strong>, who raised millions during the Covid pandemic to feed children in England, retired Army Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans<\/strong> and the Buffalo Bills training staff who helped save Damar Hamlin<\/strong>\u2019s life following his cardiac arrest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition to Harry, the 2024 ESPY Awards honored former NFL player Steve Gleason<\/strong> with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage and University of South Carolina women\u2019s basketball coach Dawn Staley<\/strong> with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our privilege to recognize three incredible individuals \u2014 Steve Gleason, Dawn Staley and Prince Harry,\u201d Kate Jackson<\/strong>, ESPN\u2019s vice president of production, said in June. \u201cThese honorees have used their platforms to change the world and make it more inclusive for marginalized and suffering communities, demonstrating incredible resilience, positivity and perseverance, and we\u2019re thrilled to celebrate them at The 2024 ESPYS.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Charitable Work Throughout the Years<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tPrince Harry and Meghan Markle have always been proponents of giving back. Charity has played a huge part in their relationship, both while they were senior members of the British royal family and since they announced their decision to step back in January 2020. Two years before Harry met Meghan in 2016, he organized the [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After Harry was announced as the recipient of the Pat Tillman Award, Tillman\u2019s mother, Mary Tillman, criticized the choice<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,\u201d she told the Daily Mail<\/em> in June. \u201cThere are recipients that are far more fitting. There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n

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