JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker said Wednesday he was “very intentional” in the comments he made during a polarizing college commencement speech in May and that he stands behind what he said then.
Butker said he didn’t initially plan to deliver the May 11 speech at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas. He delivered a commencement speech at his alma mater Georgia Tech in May 2023, and didn’t “want to be known as a commencement speaker,” he said. Butker reversed course after reflecting upon his relationship with the college at Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker says he stands behind comments he made during polarizing speech.
“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. 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,” Butker said.
During the speech, the three-time Super Bowl champion told the graduating class that most of the women receiving degrees were probably more excited about getting married and having children, and that some Catholic leaders were “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America at Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker says he stands behind comments he made during polarizing speech.”
Butker also assailed Pride month, an important time for the LGBTQ+ community, and President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion.
The NFL distanced itself from Butker after the speech, saying “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization at Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker says he stands behind comments he made during polarizing speech.”
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said at the time that while he doesn’t agree with all the beliefs espoused by Butker during the address, he nevertheless respected his teammate’s right to make them be known.
The 29-year-old kicker said Wednesday that he feels some of his remarks were misinterpreted.
“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 said. “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 at Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker says he stands behind comments he made during polarizing speech.”
Butker saw it as a good thing that the remark provoked conversations and disputes in the Chiefs locker room. He described it as “a beautiful thing to watch at Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker says he stands behind comments he made during polarizing speech”—the players’ attempts to comprehend one another’s worldviews.
Butker this week agreed to a contract extension reportedly worth $25.6 million over the next four seasons, making him the league’s highest-paid kicker. His 89.1% success rate on field goals over the last seven seasons ranks him as the second-most accurate kicker in league history behind only Justin Tucker (90.2%).
