Meghan Markle all smiles as Harry accepts Pat Tillman Award despite backlash

Prince Harry addressed Pat Tillman’s mother as he accepted her son’s namesake award at the ESPY’s — weeks after she condemned him as the winner.

The royal extended an olive branch to Tillman’s mother Mary and said he had deep “respect” for her advocacy of her son’s memory, as he also paid tribute to wounded veterans and the Invictus Games in his victory speech.

“(Mary’s) advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect,” he said. “The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.”

The royal’s win sparked backlash from some as the award has typically gone to unsung veterans, with Mary Tillman telling the Mail last month she was “shocked” her son’s award would go to “such a controversial and divisive figure”.

The Pat Tillman Award is named after the iconic NFL player who gave up his lucrative career to enlist in the army in the wake of 9/11 before his death in Afghanistan in 2004.

Meghan Markle beamed with pride as Prince Harry accepted the prestigious military honour at the ESPY Awards, as he used his time on stage to pay tribute to wounded veterans.

As he accepted the award, Harry — who served two tours in Afghanistan — paid tribute to the struggles that military personnel face after they return from duty.

“This award belongs to them, not me,” he said.

Although some took offense to his win, ESPN defended it and cited Harry’s role in The Invictus Games, which he noted in his victory speech.

“Tonight, we celebrate healing through sport,” he said, as he dedicated the award to “the entire service community”.

Harry received the honour from three former winners, who said he led a “proud community” of wounded veterans at the Invictus Games, as Harry used his time on stage to highlight the athletes that participate in the games.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined other award nominees including Patrick Mahomes and Caitlin Clark at the glitzy ESPN event on Thursday evening, hosted by tennis legend Serena Williams.

The royals received a huge cheer as they were announced by Williams, a close friend of Meghan, as she jokingly warned them not to “overshadow” her on “my night”.

Hours before the event began, a small aircraft flew a mysterious message aimed at Prince Harry overhead, cryptically urging him to “investigate Mumis death”.

Tennis legend Serena Williams led stars out on the red carpet early on Thursday evening, and received a warm welcome as she admitted the role was a departure from her usual talents.

“This is my night”, she quipped as she pointed to Harry and Meghan.

“I don’t want to be overshadowed by you two breathing too much oxygen.”

Williams also paid tribute to the banner year women’s sports has had in 2024, and took aim at the hosts ESPN for a lack of airtime given in years past.

The announcement of Harry as the winner last month drew scrutiny on event organisers, with ESPN personality Pat McAfee implying that Harry was picked as a purposefully divisive winner to increase TV ratings.

Mary Tillman also claimed that she was not even consulted over the winner, as she told the Mail there are other “recipients that are far more fitting”.

“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,” she said.

ESPN quickly defended its decision to give the award to Harry following Mary’s remarks, saying it chose the Duke of Sussex “specifically for the work of The Invictus Games Foundation”.

“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 network said in a statement to the New York Post.

The award notably joins together the worlds of sport and the military, and aims to recognise those who made “remarkable civic contributions, extraordinary fortitude, and spirit of service” in both realms.

Former winners of the award came out in support of Harry after critics scathed his victory, with 2017 and 2018 winners, US Marine Jake Wood and USAF Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr. respectively, defending the Duke.

Wood told TMZ that he saw Harry’s military record as deserving, with the royal having served in two tours of Afghanistan, the same number of tours he himself had done.

Del Toro Jr. also cited Harry’s work with the Invictus Games, and said he was looking forward to watching the royal win this year’s award.

The veterans are set to enjoy a glitzy evening in Los Angeles as a fleet of big names gather for the sporting awards ceremony.

Other nominees include Patrick Mahomes and golf star Scottie Scheffler, who will battle it out for the Best Male Athlete gong.

Caitlin Clark’s blockbuster start to her WNBA career will see her become favourite to win Best Female Athlete, with other nominees including tennis ace Coco Guaff.

Tillman was already a famous name in the NFL before he gave it up to enlist, having spent three successful years playing for the Arizona Cardinals.

In 2002, he gave up a $3.6 million, three-year contract extension in favor of the army, and although his time in the military captured headlines the same as in his NFL career, he was earning just $1,600-per-month before taxes, according to Bleacher Report.

He was first deployed to Iraq in March 2003, and returned to the US to complete Ranger school – a grueling 62-day course – before re-deploying again to Afghanistan in April 2004.

Tillman’s death just weeks into his tour of Afghanistan sparked a media frenzy, as it was initially reported that Tillman died at the hands of ‘enemy combatants’ after his squadron was ambushed.

However, it later emerged that Tillman had run up a hill during a gunbattle to protect his fellow soldiers, but was actually shot three times in the head by his own men in a tragic case of friendly fire.

The military only admitted the truth a month after Tillman’s very public funeral, with many speculating it did so to avoid further bad press as his death came in the same week that torture at the Abu Ghraib prison facility was exposed.