Chiefs Kicker Stands By Controversial Comments About Motherhood
By Movieguide® Contributor
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is standing by the comments he made during a commencement speech this spring that stoked controversy.
In the speech, he spoke to the students’ God-given purposes and desires and encouraged them to start families.
Movieguide® reported at the time:
During Butker’s speech he “extolled the virtues of motherhood as he encouraged female graduates and other women in the audience to ‘disregard the outside noise’ that encourages them to prioritize their careers above everything else.”
“The majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,” the kicker said, addressing the women who were graduating.
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,” he added. “I’m on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation.”
“I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker,” Butker continued.
His comments, particularly about the value women can find in being a wife and a mother, sparked both massive support and backlash. While at a press conference during the Chiefs’ training camp, Butker touched on the incident.
“I’ve been in the league now seven years, and I do have a platform,” he told the media. “So with that comes people that want me to state what I believe to be very important.”
“I’m going to stand behind what it is I’m saying,” he continued. “I kind of look at the offseason as a little bit of a maybe five-month period where I can just represent me as Harrison Butker, as a faithful Catholic. And then 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.”
The best things that have happened to Butker since the speech are the conversations he’s had with his teammates about their different beliefs.
“It’s been a beautiful thing to see,” the Super Bowl champion said. “That’s what’s so special about sports and so special about football.”
“I want people to know that no matter what I say — it might be the complete opposite of you — I’m still going to love you no matter what your opinions are, no matter how different we may be,” he added. “I’m going to love you and we’re going to get along and probably be good friends.”
His beliefs haven’t affected his relationship with his teammates or the Chiefs organization.
“I can’t say I agree with the majority of it, or just about any of it, outside of him loving his family and his kids,” Chiefs star Travis Kelce said. “I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life. That’s not just who I am.”
Butker also just signed a massive four-year contract extension with the team.
“It’s the largest contract given to a kicker in NFL history, surpassing Justin Tucker’s four-year, $24 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens,” Sports Illustrated reported.
“There’s no place I’d rather be than with the Chiefs, excited to finalize a 4 year extension,” he posted. “To the Heights!”
