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Harrison Butker doubles down on his controversial commencement speech: 'I stand behind what I said'
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker insists he stands by the controversial commencement speech he gave earlier this year despite the backlash it provoked.
Butker, who helped the Chiefs win a second straight Super Bowl back in February, sparked outrage a couple of months later when he told female graduates at Benedictine College that they should be more 'excited' to become wives and mothers rather than successful professionals.
He also drew criticism for hitting out at the LGBTQ+ community and President Joe Biden over his views on abortion, with a petition for the Chiefs to cut him from their roster eventually receiving almost 240,000 signatures.
Though despite the uproar it created, Butker has no regrets over the speech and is refusing to back down from his views as a devout Catholic.
The 29-year-old said about his thought process when writing it: 'I'm going to prepare over months for this speech and I'm going to stand behind what it is I'm saying.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker insists he stands by his controversial commencement speech
'I kind of look at the offseason as a little five-month period where I can kind of just represent me as Harrison Butker as a faithful Catholic. And obviously when it gets to the season, I try to focus as much as I can on football and not being a distraction for the Chiefs.'
He then 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.'
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, but didn’t 'want to be known as a commencement speaker'. However, the Kansas City star reversed course after reflecting upon his relationship with the college.
'I feel like [after] 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,' Butker stressed.
'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 received heavy criticism for suggesting that women should prioritize being 'homemakers' - but he is refusing to back down from that view
He has also praised teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce for supporting him
While he was subjected to plenty of criticism, Butker also received support from Chiefs teammates Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, along with head coach Andy Reid.
Reid, Mahomes and Kelce all defended Butker without necessarily endorsing his message to students.
'I've known him for even plus years,' Kelce said during a May podcast. 'I cherish him as a teammate. I think Pat [Mahomes] said it best where he is every bit of a great person and a great teammate.'
Reid, meanwhile, said the team respects Butker's opinion, adding that he did not believe the kicker was attacking women.
Addressing reporters at training camp on Wednesday, Butker praised his teammates and Reid for their understanding, while reaffirming his decision to make the speech.
'I felt very encouraged to hear that,' he said. 'For [Reid, Mahomes and Kelce] to be able to publicly say, 'you know, Harrison made all these public statements that maybe people don't agree with, but I've seen Harrison for seven years be someone who is of good character,' I think that meant a lot to me for them to say that.'