The mom of U.S. soldier and former NFL star Pat Tillman mentioned she was “shocked” to listen to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, can be the recipient of an annual award made within the identify of her son, who was killed by pleasant fireplace in Afghanistan in 2004.Mary Tillman, the mom of the Pat Tillman, informed the Each day Mail she was not consulted on the selection of Harry as the subsequent recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service. The award, in honor of the Arizona Cardinals safety-turned-U.S. soldier, is given by ESPN annually to a “particular person with a robust connection to sports activities who has served others in a means that echoes the legacy of the previous NFL participant.”“I’m shocked as to why they would choose such a controversial and divisive particular person to obtain the award,” Tillman informed the Each day Mail. “There are recipients which can be way more becoming. There are people working within the veteran group which can be doing super issues to help veterans.”“These people don’t have the cash, assets, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has. I really feel that these sorts of people must be acknowledged,” she added.Harry is slated to be given the award at subsequent month’s ESPY Awards ceremony for his assist in founding the Invictus Video games. The 39-year-old son of Britain’s King Charles III, who served a decade within the British Armed Forces, co-created the Invictus Video games, a world sports activities competitors for wounded veterans and active-duty navy personnel, in 2014.The Invictus Video games have “developed right into a globally celebrated and acclaimed group that celebrates resilience, group, and therapeutic by means of the ability of sport,” ESPN mentioned in an announcement.“This one is for our whole service group,” Harry mentioned of receiving the ESPY award, ABC Information reported.The award was given final yr to the Buffalo Payments coaching employees for his or her life-saving actions throughout a January 2023 recreation when Payments security Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the sphere.The choice for Harry to be this yr’s recipient promoted backlash, and a petition calling on ESPN to “rethink” the selection started circulating final week. As of Sunday afternoon, it amassed greater than 12,300 signatures.The EPSY ceremony might be broadcast July 11 at 8 p.m. on ABC and might be hosted by Serena Williams.Harry, alongside together with his spouse, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stepped down as full-time working members of the royal household and moved to California in 2020. They later revealed racism performed a job of their determination to step again from their senior positions.The couple’s relationship with a lot of the British royal household has appeared strained after the discharge of Harry’s tell-all memoir “Spare.”The Hill reached out to the Tillman Basis and ESPN for additional remark.Up to date: 9:22 p.m. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not printed, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the newest information, climate, sports activities, and streaming video, head to The Hill.