By Over the past few weeks, Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker has faced an onslaught of criticism from liberal media outlets for delivering a commencement address at Benedictine College in which he expressed traditional Catholic values.
In a 20-minute speech to graduating students, Butker criticized “poor leadership” in the U.S., urging Catholics to oppose abortion and adopt a more countercultural stance. He claimed the faith community is often too focused on appeasing the masses rather than speaking hard truths. Addressing women, Butker advocated for motherhood, arguing that they have been misled into prioritizing career advancement over becoming wives and mothers. He suggested that “homemaker” is one of the most important titles a woman can hold.
The speech caused liberals to shoot blood from their eyes, with thousands of liberals signing a petition calling on the Chiefs to cut Butker while a Kansas City columnist called for the Super Bowl champions to replace him with a female kicker.
Kansas City Star demanded Chiefs to fire Harrison Butker and replace him with Sarah Fuller, a woman.
So here’s Harrison Butker setting a new Super Bowl record with a 57-yard FG followed by Sara Fuller kicking off for Vanderbilt. pic.twitter.com/5BBD2brnMH
— OutKick (@Outkick) May 19, 2024
Butker holds the record for the longest field goal in Super Bowl history.
The Dally Caller reported that the Chiefs kicker made his first public comments since his commencement speech in which he stood up for traditional Catholic values.
“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now. Over the past few days, my beliefs — or what people think I believe — have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe. At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate,” Butker stated.
Butker continued to note the differences between receiving backlash from the NFL to now, and noted how he is standing by his faith.
“But as the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion. In my seven years in the NFL, I’ve become familiar with the positive and negative comments, but the majority of them revolve around my performance on the field. But, as to be expected, the more I’ve talked about what I value most, — which is my Catholic faith — the more polarizing I have become. It’s a decision I’ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all. If we have truth and charity, we should trust in the Lord’s providence and let the Holy Ghost do the rest of the work,” Butker stated.
“Our love for Jesus — and thus our desire to speak out — should never be outweighed by the longing of our fallen nature to be loved by the world. Glorifying God and not ourselves should always remain our motivation, despite any pushback or even support. I lean on those closest to me for guidance, but I can never forget that it is not people, but Jesus Christ, who I’m trying to please.”
Butker also expressed that he felt “humbled” by the support he received, noting that any backlash he faced pales in comparison to the “courage many saints have shown in their lives.
His support includes some of the leaders of the Chiefs, including the owners, head coach Andy Reid, superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and king of Taylor Swift’s heart, tight end Travis Kelce.
Gracie Hunt, the daughter of the team owner said:
Andy Reid discussed it after the team’s first practice of the new season.
Mahomes told reporters after practice something similar, saying, “I know Harrison. I’ve known him for seven years. And I judge him by the character that he shows every single day, and that’s a good person. That’s someone who cares about the people around him, cares about his family, and wants to make a good impact in society. When you’re in the locker room, there’s a lot of people from a lot of different areas of life, and they have a lot of different views on everything. And we’re not always gonna agree.
“And there’s certain things that he said that I don’t necessarily agree with. But I understand the person that he is, and he’s trying to do whatever he can to try to lead people in the right direction. And that might not be the same values as I have, but at the same time, I’m gonna judge him by the values that he shows every day, and that’s a great person. … I know what kind of person he is, and I’m gonna make sure I look at that first.”
Travis Kelce was a little more diplomatic but still said that he thought it was fine for Butker to say what he believes.
Travis Kelce on Harrison Butker’s Benedictine College speech: “I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids.”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) May 24, 2024
Fans have also flocked to support Butker. It was reported that “the 28-year-old’s jersey sales aren’t floundering one bit. In fact, it’s been the opposite for the Chiefs kicker, whose jersey now ranks among the NFL Shop’s top sellers.
On the NFL Shop, Butker’s men’s jersey and T-shirt have ranked among the “most popular” Chiefs gear, even outpacing fellow teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Butker’s jersey is also third among the best-selling men’s jerseys in the league.”
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