The Duke of Sussex has found himself in a tricky situation again, and this time, it has nothing to do with the royal family, so that’s a breath of fresh air. Calls for Prince Harry to refuse the Pat Tillman Award are growing louder, but I’m not convinced he’s listening.
The 39-year-old was recognized by ESPN for the Pat Tillman Award, for his work with the Invictus Games, a charity for veterans Prince Harry himself set up 10 years ago. Harry, who completed two tours in Afghanistan as part of his royal requirement for military service, has been an advocate for veteran support and mental health ever since.
When it was announced the royal would be a recipient of the ESPY’s, they praised him for his positive impact on the community and for ‘changing the world’.
The Pat Tillman Award is “given 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,” and ESPN have picked Harry.
Prince Harry deserves recognition, but the Pat Tillman Award is now part of a bitter debate
He deserves recognition for the incredible work the Invictus Games does, but it’s hard not to ponder if he’d be getting this gong at an award show if his multi-million-dollar deal with Netflix didn’t dedicate an entire docu-series to it. The prince has been working on this project for some time, nine years before the doc came out, so it is suspicious timing the following year he’s now being honored.
Coincidence much? Probably not.
The other two recipients are Steve Gleason and women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley.
Gleason, who played with the New Orleans Saints for seven seasons, retired from the NFL in 2008. Three years later, doctors told him he had ALS and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
He has been documenting his journey with the condition ever since, and a movie was released in 2016 after it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Gleason has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about the terminal disease that attacks the nervous system, and was the first NFL star to receive a Congressional Gold Medal in 2019.
The Duke doesn’t need another platform
Now, I’m not saying a movie should or shouldn’t allow someone to be in the running for the award show, but Gleason continued his fight in the eight years that followed. He deserves recognition, much like the other recipients. But he doesn’t have the influence, power or money Prince Harry at his disposal, and it seems his journey to recognition took a lot longer than the Duke’s for this matter.
Gleason wrote, after hearing he was being awarded: “Over the past 13 years, I’ve been documenting our journey with ALS. My aim has always been to see if we can discover peace and freedom with a love of Life, in the midst of extreme adversity. Being recognized at The 2024 ESPYS is not just an honor, but a powerful platform to further help and serve others. Thank you, ESPN, for this incredible accolade”.
The former athlete’s words really hit home here, ‘a powerful platform to further help and serve others’. Some of the previous winners being recognized meant they could cast a larger net for the good that they do. They don’t have a $100m Netflix contract up their sleeve, and they may never have one.
The accolade, named after Pat Tillman, the NFL star who downed a $3 million football contract to join the army after the tragedy of 9/11, is given to someone who served others in a way that echoes Tillman’s legacy.
The athlete was tragically killed in action, from friendly fire, while serving in 2004. After his death, he was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals posthumously.
Previous winners include English soccer player Marcus Rashford, who helped secure $500 million in grants to provide free meals for schoolchildren during the Covid when the government rejected a motion to offer them in the middle of the pandemic. Kim Clavel, a North American Boxing Federation flyweight champion, hung up her gloves to work as an overnight nurse on the frontline. There is also former Marine Corps sergeant Kirstie Ennis, who survived a helicopter crash which left her with a traumatic brain injury, spine trauma and her left leg amputated. The athlete founded the Kirstie Ennis Foundation to provide education and opportunities to improve the quality of life for families and individuals.
Late war hero’s mother was ‘shocked’ by the decision
It doesn’t help that Pat Tillman’s mother, Mary, has slammed the choice for Prince Harry to receive the award.
She called the 39-year-old “such a controversial and divisive individual” to be on the list of winners.
“There are recipients that are far more fitting,” she added. “There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans.”
She doesn’t currently sit on the foundation’s board, or work among the team who select the recipients, so was likely not consulted.
ESPN responded: “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 sad thing is no matter how much Prince Harry does, the word controversial will follow him around.
The previous battles with his family in The Firm and getting a paycheck for airing the royals’ dirty laundry has left a bitter taste in people’s mouths. There isn’t a magic number of awards that will wash this away, either.
It also means when his achievements are rightly recognized, he’ll receive backlash no matter what.
Harry can’t drown out the 60,000 voices
It doesn’t matter his greatest characteristic is empathy, or how he’s praised for comforting a war widow, all of his actions are under a microscope and some of the sights aren’t pretty.
The difference between Prince Harry and the previous Pat Tillman Award winners is that they didn’t have a past they were trying to run away from.
When the Duke left The Firm, he and his wife Meghan Markle took any opportunity they could get, and it has shot them in the foot years later as they try to stay afloat. Setting the ‘record straight’ with a bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview, and releasing a memoir filled with private conversations and secrets is more in line with a reality TV storyline, not two people who say their priority is service and charity.
Now, a petition, which has reached 60,000 signatures in a matter of days, has begged for ESPN to take his name off the list. It likely won’t lead anywhere, but those voices want to be heard, and he can’t drown them out.
He was obviously over the moon about the award, and in an alternative universe, he should be.
Harry, via the Sussex official website, said the gong will “recognize exceptional individuals who exemplify courage, perseverance, and service” and how “among the esteemed recipients is Prince Harry.”
While he’s trying to honor the other winners, he’s basically calling himself exceptional and esteemed, and that won’t sit well with the 60,000 naysayers.
He can either decide to reject the offer, but thank ESPN for the recognition which would look like he agrees with the backlash, or accept an award a lot of people don’t think Prince Harry deserves – including Pat Tillman’s mother. But whatever choice he makes, it’s a lose-lose situation, and this is down to how he’s presented himself over the past four years since leaving the royal family. It is not because of his hard work and the incredible support the Invictus Games has given to veterans.
Therefore, if he’s trying to win over the hearts of thousands, Harry should try a slice of humble pie first and take a note out of Gleason’s book.
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