Prince Harry has important figures in his corner amid the outrage about ESPN’s choice to honor him with the Pat Tillman Award for Support — at minimum 2 former winners say Harry is undoubtedly deserving.

Jake Wooden, a U.S. Maritime and prior college or university soccer participant who gained the award in 2018, tells TMZ ? the Duke of Sussex is a purely all-natural in shape for the Tillman honor due to the reality of Harry’s military solutions organization and his devotion to veterans.

Jake feels Prince Harry is a superior option simply because he’s devoted his everyday life to serving and supporting the military solutions and veterans — Harry served 2 excursions in Afghanistan — and that definitely must be counseled for the explanation that there are hundreds of numerous indicates a British royal could reside his life style.

Keep in thoughts, Pat’s mother, Mary Tillman, established off the controversy when she slammed ESPN for its method to give the award named just right after her son to “a controversial and divisive specific” at this month’s ESPY Awards ceremony.

Even ESPN character Pat McAfee is publicly supporting Mary’s viewpoint, boasting his neighborhood is purposely attempting to create a controversy … allegedly for superior Television set scores.

Yet an additional earlier winner, U.S. Air Drive Learn Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr., received the Tillman award in 2017, and totally disagrees with McAfee and Mary Tillman.

He says Harry’s function with wounded and hurt veterans aids make him a deserving receiver, and for what it is worth … he’s looking ahead to observing Harry adhere to in his footsteps.

Which is ESPN’s take as nicely, as it insists Harry was preferred specifically for the explanation that of his get the job performed as the founder of The Invictus Games for wounded and injured vets. Harry’s basis is celebrating 10 yrs of help.

The notion ESPN chosen Harry purely for publicity would not make perception to Jake, who aspects out … the ESPYs and ESPN are not hurting for celebs and the ceremony is frequently chock-comprehensive of renowned athletes.

Of study course, Harry’s the initial celeb to obtain the Pat Tillman Award for Company — in the prior, it is been reserved for unsung heroes, but Jake says Harry’s army qualifications tends to make him not like most celebs.

When Jake’s defending Harry in this short article, definitely do not get it twisted … he states Pat’s mother has every appropriate to shield her son’s legacy even so she sees match, and, clearly, he does not speak for the Tillman relatives.

Likewise, Israel has sympathy for Mary, but suggests the award boils down to solutions … and, for him at the extremely least, Prince Harry extra than checks that box.