Harrison Butker has opened up for the first time about the negative reception of his Benedictine College commencement speech and doubled down on the controversial views it contained, which were widely considered sexist.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker attended a gala in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, May 24, presented by a Catholic homeschooling organization, Regina Caeli Academy, of which he is a board member. While there, Butker gave a speech in which he addressed the fallout from his headline-grabbing speech.
“The theme for tonight's gala, Courage Under Fire, was decided many months ago, but it now seems providential that this is the theme after what we have all witnessed these past two weeks,” Butker said. “If it wasn't clear that many hate eternal Catholic values, it is now.”
During his Benedictine address, the soccer player specifically addressed the women of the class of 2024, noting that instead of looking toward their future careers and promotions, they should look toward their marriages and the birth of their children. He even used his own wife as an example, saying, “Her life really began when she began to live her calling as a wife and mother.”
Even though many people took to TikTok and X, formerly known as Twitter, to address the comments, Butker stood by his comments on Friday and reiterated that they came from his religious beliefs.
“Our love for Jesus, and therefore our desire to speak, must never be overcome by the longing of our fallen nature to be loved by the world,” Butker said. “Glorifying God and not ourselves should always be our motivation despite any rejection or even support. I rely on the people closest to me for guidance, but I can never forget that it is not people, but Jesus Christ who I am trying to please.”
Over the past week, the kicker's teammates have also spoken out about the speech, and tight end Travis Kelce recently addressed the speech during an episode of him and his brother Jason Kelce. new heights podcast, which aired on May 24.
During the podcast, she made sure to mention how old their friendship is, saying, “I call him Harry, I might be the only person who calls him Harry.”
“That just tells you, I mean, I've known him for over seven, over eight years and I appreciate him as a teammate… He's treated the friends and family that I've introduced him to with nothing but respect, kindness and “That’s how he treats everyone.”
The tight end added that despite not agreeing with what was said in the speech, he would not judge his friend for his religious views.
“I can't say I agree with most of it, or much of it, other than he loves his family or his kids,” she continued. “And I don't think you should judge him by his views, especially his religious views on how he lives life. “That’s just not who I am.”
The team's quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, also mentioned the speech during a press conference on May 22. Like Kelce, he noted how long he's known Butker and wanted to talk about his personality in addition to the commencement speech.
“I've known him for several years,” Mahomes said of his teammate. “When you're in the locker room, there are a lot of people from different walks of life, and they have different points of view on everything, and we won't always agree. There are certain things he said that I don't necessarily agree with, but I understand the person he is and he's trying to do everything he can to guide people in the right direction. They may not be the same values as me, but at the same time I will judge him by the character that he shows every day, and he is a great person.”
However, his speech also angered many for his views on women, and the NFL was forced to issue a statement declaring that his views “are not those of the NFL as an organization.”
Even a group of nuns associated with the university issued a statement declaring that her speech “fostered division” and that women's education was a fundamental part of the school's goal.
“The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butker's comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have invested so much,” it said. read. “Rather than promoting unity in our church, our nation and the world, his comments appear to have fostered division. One of our concerns was the assertion that being a homemaker is the highest calling for a woman. We sisters have dedicated our lives to God and God's people, including the many women we have taught and influenced over the past 160 years. “These women have made an enormous difference in the world in their roles as wives and mothers and through the gifts God has given them in leadership, scholarship, and careers.”
