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Prince Harry accepts Pat Tillman Award for Service at ESPYs despite Tillman’s mother’s criticism to honor him
Prince Harry was given the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPYs on Thursday night, despite criticism from the mother of the slain veteran over the decision to select the royal as the recipient.
The Duke of Sussex kicked off his acceptance speech at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, by expressing his gratitude to the Pat Tillman Foundation and acknowledging Tillman’s family, including Mary Tillman specifically.
“Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect,” Harry said. “The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.”
Tillman was a former NFL player who gave up his football career to enlist in the U.S. Army after the 9/11 attacks. He later died in friendly fire incident in Afghanistan.
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The award was given to the 39-year-old son of King Charles for his work with the Invictus Games – an annual international sporting event he founded for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans. Harry, who was at the ceremony with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said the award goes to all of them instead of him.
“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 from over 20 nations who have made the Invictus Games a reality,” he said. “This award belongs to them, not to me.”
“The spirit of the Invictus Games transcends race, time and borders,” he added. “It is born from unity and exudes purpose. This year we’re celebrating ten years of witnessing life-changing impact and healing through sport.”
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Last month, ESPN announced Harry would be the recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPYs, which was hosted by tennis legend Serena Williams. Tillman’s mother disagreed with the decision to pick Harry and told the Daily Mail that she was “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,” she said. “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,” she told the British outlet. “I feel that those types of individuals should be recognised.” In response, ESPN said in a statement that the company made the choice “with the support of the Tillman Foundation.”
“We understand not everyone will agree with all honorees selected for any award,” ESPN said. “The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating.”
The award under Tillman’s name honors a person “with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that echoes the legacy” of Tillman, ESPN said. Other past winners include the Buffalo Bills’ training staff, Army veteran Gretchen Evans and Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford.
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Police arrested a man on murder charges this month, 14 years after he allegedly killed a man in Virginia, but the victim’s body has never been found.
Shane Ryan Donahue, a Virginia man, is presumed deceased, the Prince William County Police Department said Tuesday. He was last seen leaving his parents’ home in Nokesville, Virginia, on March 22, 2010. Donahue, 23, was headed to his house in Nokesville, but never made it there.
Donahue was added to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System after he vanished. According to records, Donahue did not have a car and regularly got rides from friends. He frequented Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Fauquier County, Virginia, and Northern Virginia.
The case stumped investigators, who followed a number of leads over the years. This spring, detectives reactivated the investigation and started looking at every detail of the case from scratch, officials said. They revisited people who had been interviewed during the initial investigation and reviewed “digital evidence in greater detail due to advances in analytical technology and modern police investigative practices,” according to a news release.
Officers said Donahue was last seen leaving his parents’ home with Timothy Sean Hickerson, now a 43-year-old Florida resident. Investigators connected Hickerson to a burglary at Donahue’s home that happened just days before the Virginia man disappeared.
Detectives got an arrest warrant this month and, with the help of Florida’s Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, Hickerson was taken into custody in Palm Coast, Florida. Hickerson was charged with murder and burglary, is now set to be extradited to Virginia.
