ESPN is giving an award to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex.
Harry will receive the 2024 Pat Tillman Award for Service at this year’s ESPY Awards, which will be held July 11 on ABC, and be hosted by tennis legend Serena Williams.
The Tillman award is “given to a person with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that echoes the legacy of the former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger, Pat Tillman,” per ESPN.
Tillman was a safety for the Arizona Cardinals who enlisted in the U.S. Army after the 9/11 attacks. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 in a friendly fire incident.
The Pat Tillman Award has traditionally gone to people who are not household names, including veterans Jake Wood in 2018 and Gretchen Evans in 2022, though it has been given to athletes in the past, including English soccer star Marcus Rashford in 2021 and boxer Kim Clavel in 2020. Last year’s recipients were the training staff of the Buffalo Bills, who helped save the life of safety Damar Hamlin on the field last year.
Prince Harry is receiving the award due to his service in the British Armed Forces (including two tours in Afghanistan), as well as his work founding The Invictus Games, “creating an international platform to support wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women — both active-duty and veterans — who are navigating both physical and invisible injuries,” per ESPN.
The Invictus Games celebrated their 10th year in May.
Prince Harry is one of three special honorees at this year’s ESPY Awards, with former NFL safety Steve Gleason set to be honored with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for his fight with ALS; and University of South Carolina (USC) women’s basketball head coach, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member Dawn Staley set to receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.
“It’s our privilege to recognize three incredible individuals — Steve Gleason, Dawn Staley and Prince Harry,” said Kate Jackson, VP of production for ESPN. “These honorees have used their platforms to change the world and make it more inclusive for marginalized and suffering communities, demonstrating incredible resilience, positivity and perseverance, and we’re thrilled to celebrate them at The 2024 ESPYS.”
The nominees for this year’s awards include Caitlin Clark, Shohei Ohtani, Patrick Mahomes and Simone Biles.
