Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker addressed the controversy surrounding his May commencement speech at Benedictine College, where he expressed views on women’s roles in prioritizing family over careers.
In a recent media interaction, Butker reaffirmed his statements, emphasizing that they stemmed from a place of love rather than an intent to undermine women.
“I’ve appreciated all the feedback,” Butker said. “I know when it comes to football I don’t really look at the comments good or bad towards me, but with it being the offseason and stating a lot of these things, I was really curious as to what people would be saying back to me and I respected all the viewpoints.”
There’s no place I’d rather be than with the Chiefs, excited to finalize a 4 year extension. To the Heights! pic.twitter.com/geMUZTaNmZ
— Harrison Butker (@buttkicker7) August 5, 2024
“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 and I really believe if people knew me as a person and understood that I was coming from a place of love and not a place of trying to attack or put people down, that I only want the best for people.”
“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. But then when I use that to talk about women, and 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,” he said.
He clarified that his criticism of President Joe Biden’s policies on topics like abortion and religious practices contributed to the backlash.
“My wife had never heard me speak publicly and she was there for that moment,” Butker said. “She was up in the background in one of the offices up there, and I was getting emotional looking at her crying and understanding that she has sacrificed so much for me.”
Despite the scrutiny, Butker also recently secured a four-year, $25.6 million contract extension with the Chiefs, making him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history, and solidifying his significant contributions to the team’s success, including three Super Bowl victories since 2019.
