On Wednesday, November 6, Prince Harry made a low-key presence at the Pat Tillman Foundation’s 20th annual Tillman Honors banquet in Chicago.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, attended the whole evening, which featured a keynote talk by 2020 Tillman Scholar Bradley Snyder, a five-time Paralympic gold medalist. The prince sat next to Pat Tillman’s widow, Marie Tillman Shenton.
Before the banquet, the prince participated in a leadership development workshop with Pat Tillman Foundation CEO Dr. Katherine Steele, retired NFL quarterback Jake Plummer, and motivational speaker Israel Del Toro. Prince Harry’s visit surprised the 40 Tillman academics. The Pat Tillman Foundation published a video on Friday, November 8, featuring footage of their comments during the session.
On July 11, Prince Harry received the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPY Awards, which recognized his impact on the military community as the Invictus Games’ founding patron. Harry accepted the prize and offered his “deepest gratitude to everyone at the Pat Tillman Foundation,” including Tillman Shenton, who was in attendance. He also recognized Tillman’s mother, Mary Tillman.
“Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect,” Harry said of Tillman’s mother. “The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.”
Mary questioned the decision to present Harry with the medal, telling the Daily Mail that she was “shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award.”
ESPN later responded to Mary’s comments, saying, “ESPN, with the support of the Tillman Foundation, is honoring Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, specifically for the work of The Invictus Games Foundation, which is celebrating its tenth year of promoting healing through the power of sport for military service members and veterans around the world.” While we appreciate that not everyone will agree with all of the award winners, the Invictus Games Foundation performs amazing work, and ESPN feels it is a cause worth honoring.”
Harry is a veteran who served in the British Army for ten years.
Tillman was a former NFL player who enlisted in the military following September 11, 2001. He died in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004, at the age of 27. He got his Silver Star and Purple Heart medals posthumously.