ESPN is standing by its resolution to honor Prince Harry with its Pat Tillman Award for Service at subsequent week’s ESPYs after the selection was publicly criticized by Tillman’s mom, community character Pat McAfee and others.“ESPN, with the assist of the Tillman Basis, is honoring Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, particularly for the work of the Invictus Video games Basis because it celebrates its tenth 12 months selling therapeutic by way of the ability of sport for navy service members and veterans all over the world,” the community mentioned in an announcement emailed to The Occasions on Monday.“Whereas we perceive not everybody will agree with all honorees chosen for any award, the Invictus Video games Basis does unbelievable work and ESPN believes it is a trigger price celebrating.”Final week, ESPN introduced the honorees for a few of its particular awards forward of the 2024 ESPYs, which shall be held July 11 on the Dolby Theatre. Harry was tabbed for the award named after the previous Arizona Cardinal who left the NFL and enlisted within the Military shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist assaults on the U.S. Tillman was 27 when he was killed by pleasant fireplace throughout a tour of responsibility in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004.In a information launch Thursday, ESPN mentioned the award is “an individual with a powerful connection to sports activities who has served others in a manner that echoes the legacy of the previous NFL participant and U.S. Military Ranger, Pat Tillman.” Final 12 months’s honoree was the Buffalo Payments coaching employees for its life-saving efforts after security Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest throughout a Jan. 2, 2023, “Monday Evening Soccer” sport.The discharge pointed to Harry’s 10 years of service within the British Armed Forces, together with two excursions of responsibility in Afghanistan, and his founding of the Invictus Video games Basis, which has created “a world platform to assist wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and girls — each active-duty and veterans — who’re navigating each bodily and invisible accidents” the discharge said.The choice to current Harry, who stop royal duties in 2020 and moved to California with spouse Meghan Markle, with the Tillman Award has been met with some backlash. Tillman’s mom, Mary, advised the Each day Mail she was “shocked” by the selection.“There are recipients which might be way more becoming,” mentioned Mary Tillman, who will not be on the board or employees of the Pat Tillman Basis. “There are people working within the veteran group which might be doing great issues to help veterans. These people should not have the cash, assets, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has. I really feel that these kinds of people needs to be acknowledged.”Throughout a rant on Friday’s episode of his ESPN TV present, McAfee mentioned the community “is simply clearly making an attempt to piss individuals off” by selecting Harry to obtain an award named after somebody who was an “American hero” and “the definition of selfless.”A web-based petition calling for ESPN to rethink has garnered greater than 36,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon.