Duke of Sussex Prince Harry has been named for the Pat Tillman Award at a sports event run by TV network ESPN for his work with injured veterans with the Invictus Games. The award was named after an American war hero killed in Afghanistan. Now, Pat Tillman’s mother has objected to the award and expressed shock at the choice.

“I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” the mother said to the 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 of privilege that Prince harry has. I feel that those types of individuals should be recognized,” Pat Tillman’s mother said.

Prince Harry will be presented with the award on July 11 in Los Angeles. A petition has also been filed demanding that the authorities should reconsider their choice.

What is the Pat Tillman Award?
The Pat Tillman Award honors a person with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a manner that echoes the spirit of former NFL player and US Army ranger Pat Tillman. Prince Harry was chosen for tha ward for his own military service, as a forward air controller and Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. Also because of Harry’s Invictus Foundation and its commitment to supporting the mental and physical health of wounded servicemen and women through sport.

Soccer player Marcus Rashford won the award in 2021 for raising funds to feed schoolchildren during Covid lockdowns.

Sports analyst Pat McAfee slammed the decision and said Prince Harry is not a prince any more. “Why does ESPYs do this sh**? you do something like this, you know the immediate reaction from humans and from sports fans and from people with common sense and brains, is gonna be like ‘Hey, don’t be putting our f’n guy with that guy,” he said.