Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker talks abortion, fatherhood and a trans activist's funeral
Putting faith at the forefront of the family
When asked to identify some "simple ways" he lived his faith around his wife and children, the former Georgia Tech standout described how he has been changing habits to become the "best father" and "best husband" possible.
"You're at the facilities, you're working out, you're locked in on football. When you come home, you want to relax, you want to pull out your phone, look on social media, YouTube, whatever it may be," he explained.
"I've started to put my phone away" and instead "spending time with my wife, spending time with my children." He said he prays the rosary with his family in the evening: "It's amazing. Children, they have great memories, they're able to learn the prayers in English and Latin."
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"It's lent, so we've been doing the Stations of the Cross, and they're memorizing everything. It's been very edifying to see that they are learning from me," he added.
"It's been very beautiful for them to grow in devotion to the rosary. We try to make mass on Sundays a priority as much as possible."
Butker lamented that his career sometimes makes it difficult for him to attend mass, especially during the football season, when most NFL games are played on Sunday.
"If you have a 12 [p.m.] game … I get to the stadium three hours before, so 9 [a.m.]. I have to be at the stadium, so it's hard to go to mass, get changed and everything, and then make it to the stadium on time."
"Now, what I've done is now for a 3 [p.m.] game or a night game, if it's home, I've been prioritizing actually going to the parish, going to mass together as a family, and I know that's tough for me. It's tough to wake up earlier than probably all my teammates are to put on a suit and tie, to get out the door and meet them at mass and then to be present for the hourlong liturgy and still be a father to them," he said.
"I can't miss out on those moments with my children, and I prioritized that this season and it's amazing that God allowed me to have the best season of my career."
He said that as their father, he needs to "set a good example."
"I can set a good example, or I can set a bad example," he said.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
