The Mail on Sunday somehow got exclusive comments from Pat Tillman’s mother Mary Tillman over the weekend. The Mail got Mary to respond to the announcement that Prince Harry would receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at next week’s ESPYs. Mary Tillman’s comments were odd, in that she didn’t mention the Invictus Games or Harry’s military service, and instead expressed her “shock” that ESPN and the Tillman Foundation would “select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award. There are recipients that are far more fitting. There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans.” ESPN quietly pushed back on Monday, basically saying that Harry will receive the award because of the Invictus Games and everything he’s done to support veterans for over a decade. Someone (probably at ESPN) also pointed out that Mary Tillman has never had a say in who receives the Pat Tillman Award for Service. Well, now Page Six has a weird response to that:
The backlash kicked off by ESPN giving Prince Harry the esteemed Pat Tillman Award has turned into a behind-the-scenes clash, sources say. Over the weekend, Mary Tillman — the mother of NFL player turned army vet Pat Tillman — hit out at Prince Harry being honored.
Network insiders told Page Six that Mary is not associated with the Pat Tillman Foundation, which helps ESPN determine the honorees, and has never been informed during the selection of past recipients.
But other sources say that Mary and her family members were kept abreast of previous honorees, including last year’s winners — members of the Buffalo Bills training staff who revived player Damar Hamlin after he suffered cardiac arrest in the middle of a January 2023 game.
“But other sources say that Mary and her family members were kept abreast of previous honorees.” Meaning what exactly? Mary Tillman was usually informed via ESPN press release or an email from the Tillman Foundation? What are we really fighting about here? I really hope that we get some clarity on exactly what is going on behind-the-scenes, because it feels like this is a beef between Pat Tillman’s mother and his widow, and it also feels like Mary Tillman is completely uninformed or misinformed about why Harry is receiving this award. Meanwhile, TMZ has a piece in which other Pat Tillman Award winners are defending Harry being named the recipient of the award.
Prince Harry has key figures in his corner amid the outrage over ESPN’s decision to honor him with the Pat Tillman Award for Service — at least 2 former winners say Harry is definitely deserving.
Jake Wood, a U.S. Marine and former college football player who won the award in 2018, tells TMZ … the Duke of Sussex is a natural fit for the Tillman honor because of Harry’s military service and his dedication to veterans. Jake feels Prince Harry is a good choice because he’s dedicated his life to serving and supporting the military and veterans — Harry served 2 tours in Afghanistan — and that should be commended because there are hundreds of different ways a British royal could live his life.
Another previous winner, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr., received the Tillman award in 2017, and totally disagrees with [Pat] McAfee and Mary Tillman. He says Harry’s work with wounded and injured veterans makes him a worthy recipient, and for what it’s worth … he’s looking forward to watching Harry follow in his footsteps.
That’s ESPN’s take too, as it insists Harry was chosen specifically because of his work as the founder of The Invictus Games for wounded and injured vets. Harry’s foundation is celebrating 10 years of service. The notion ESPN selected Harry purely for publicity doesn’t make sense to Jake, who points out … the ESPYs and ESPN aren’t hurting for celebs and the ceremony is always chock-full of famous athletes.
Of course, Harry’s the first celeb to win the Pat Tillman Award for Service — in the past, it’s been reserved for unsung heroes, but Jake says Harry’s military background makes him unlike most celebs. While Jake’s defending Harry here, don’t get it twisted … he says Pat’s mother has every right to defend her son’s legacy however she sees fit, and, obviously, he does not speak for the Tillman family. Likewise, Israel has sympathy for Mary, but says the award boils down to service … and, for him at least, Prince Harry more than checks that box.
Yeah, I agree with these men. This whole “controversy” driven by Mary Tillman and Pat McAfee has been so bizarre. But hey, someone succeeded at turning a huge honor for Harry into a negative storyline. It’s almost as if that’s been someone’s agenda for eight years.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.