It has been almost a decade since Prince Harry hung up his military uniform. Yet, somehow, the Duke has managed to keep his finger on the pulse of the military through his Invictus foundation. While Prince Harry received a lot of praise for his initiative, when it came to honoring him with one of the most prestigious military awards, not everyone seemed to be on the same page. In fact, over 75,000 people had reportedly signed a petition against this decision of ESPN to honor the Duke with the Pat Tillman Award.

Prince Harry, nonetheless, proceeded to receive the honor, with his head held high, and addressed all the opposition head-on.

Over the years, amid plenty of controversies, Prince Harry has learned how to handle criticism with class. The ESPY controversy was no different. In the speech, he did not take credit for the Pat Tillman Award himself; instead, he praised the Invictus Foundation and the brave veterans it supports. "This award belongs to them, not to me," said the 39-year-old. He even directly acknowledged one of the biggest critics of the decision, Mrs. Mary Tillman, Pat Tillman's mother.

Prince Harry paid tribute to the Tillman family, touching on the strong bond between a mother and her son, something he understands well having lost his own mother. ESPN further made it clear why Prince Harry deserved this award. They pointed out his strong connection to both sports and the military, which makes him a fitting candidate to receive Pat Tillman's honor, given that the late soldier was an NFL gem before he quit sports to serve his country. Even so, Pat Tillman's mother had her own take on it.

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Mary Tillman believed there were many more deserving candidates for the Pat Tillman Award and explained why she felt the ESPY's decision was not justified. 

Upon hearing that Prince Harry was selected for the award honoring her late son, Mary Tillman shared her thoughts about the decision with the Daily Mail. She made it very clear that she was unhappy with this choice and was, in fact, quite “shocked” that ESPN would pick such a controversial and divisive figure for the award. She argued that there are “far more fitting” candidates for the Pat Tillman Award who are doing incredible work to support the military. 

These individuals deserve it all the more because they do not have the financial backing or connections that Prince Harry does. Despite the backlash, ESPN stuck to its decision. And they may have been right after all, as a subtle shift in public sentiment regarding the Californian royal's award can be seen following the Duke's humble and graceful speech.

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