Harrison Butker defends speech comments as he becomes NFL's highest-paid kicker
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is standing by the comments he made during a Catholic college commencement speech in May that sparked a national news firestorm and criticism as he finalized a four-year extension with the team last week.
In recent comments cited by The Associated Press, the 29-year-old three-time Super Bowl winner opened up about his decision to give the May 11 commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, saying he didn't originally plan to do so after having done a commencement speech at his alma mater Georgia Tech University in 2023.
“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 said. "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."
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“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," he added.
During his speech at the private Catholic liberal arts school, Butker touched on themes that he described as core to his Catholic values, including critiques of modern societal norms and political stances that conflict with his religious beliefs, such as abortion and LGBT pride.
It was arguably Butker's comments directed at female graduates which drew the most criticism. He told the young females they have been lied to by society and that while many of them look forward to having careers one day, they most likely look forward to being mothers the most.
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,” he said.
In addition to extolling the virtues of motherhood in his speech, Butker declared, “Things like abortion, [in-vitro fertilization], surrogacy, euthanasia as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.” He also criticized President Joe Biden, a practicing Catholic, over his support for abortion.
The comment drew the ire of many, including those who believed he was suggesting that a woman’s role is to raise children and be a homemaker. Thousands signed an online petition calling for the Chiefs to release Butker.
The kicker, who signed a $25.6 million extension with over $17 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid at his position, told AP that he feels people misinterpreted his advocacy for traditional family roles. He rejected the accusations the is "trying to put women down."
“My whole career, I’ve talked about how I’m a husband and I’m a father before it comes to me as a kicker, something I’ve always preached,” he was quoted as saying. “But then when I use that to talk about women, I say that they should embrace and love being wives and being mothers over their career, I think then it gets construed that I’m trying to put women down, which I’m not at all.”
In the heat of the backlash, NFL responded to Butker’s speech by distancing itself from his views, clarifying that they do not reflect the league’s stance.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes commented on the situation, noting his respect for Butker’s right to express his views while not necessarily agreeing with them.
Butker’s comments sparked a significant response within the sports community and beyond, leading to public criticism from figures such as tennis icon Serena Williams during the ESPY Awards. Williams directly addressed Butker, suggesting his absence from women’s sports support would be preferable, a sentiment echoed by her sister Venus and actress Quinta Brunson during the event.
Despite the controversy, Butker described the internal discussions among his teammates as “a beautiful thing to see,” suggesting that the dialogue, opened up by his comments, had fostered deeper understanding within the team.
