Chief’s Kicker Harrison Butker Defends Controversial Comments About Working Women In Commencement Speech

In the aftermath of his intensely criticized commencement speech at Benedictine College, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has emerged to defend his “very intentional” remarks. 

The NFL player, 29, who has been with the Chiefs for seven seasons, has stood firm on the sentiments expressed in his condemned 20-minute address on May 11, which included criticisms of working women, the LGBTQ+ community, families who use surrogacy and in vitro fertilization (IVF) and Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. 

On August 7, Butker addressed the remarks he made at Benedictine College. “I feel like, seven years in the league, having this platform, I’ve just decided, ‘You know what, there’s things that I believe wholeheartedly that I think will make this world a better place, and I’m going to preach that,'” he told local media. “And if people don’t agree, they don’t agree, but I’m going to continue to say what I believe to be true and love everyone along the way.”

He added, “I prayed about it, and I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said, and I stand behind what I said.”

These comments prompted plenty of backlash – and some defenders. NFL’s Chief Diversity Officer, Jonathan Beane, clarified, “[Butker’s] views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, making our league stronger.”

Former Kansas City commissioner Justice Horn went further, saying Butker does not represent the city, which has “always been a place that welcomes, affirms, and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members.”

Butker’s teammates, such as veteran tight end Travis Kelce, have also addressed the controversy. In an episode of New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce on May 24, Kelce emphasized that he cherishes Butker as a teammate who has always treated his friends and family respectfully and kindly. “And that’s how he treats everyone,” he said. “When it comes down to his views and what he said at [Benedictine’s] commencement speech, those are his.” 

“I can’t say I agree with most or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids,” he said. “And I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life; that’s just not who I am.”

This support for Butker is somewhat unexpected given Kelce’s current relationship with well-known feminist and liberal icon Taylor Swift. 

Butker’s latest comments follow his recent contract extension with the Chiefs, which has made him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. On August 5, Butker agreed to a four-year, $25.6 million deal with $17.8 million in guaranteed money.