The NFL is distancing itself from the speech Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker gave during a commencement address at a private college in Kansas over the weekend, when he encouraged women graduates to embrace their “vocation” as a “homemaker,” and criticized the LGBTQ community and President Biden for his stance on abortion.
Butker, a three-time Super Bowl champion, has received overwhelming backlash on social media for his comments made during a roughly 20-minute address he gave at Benedictine College over the weekend.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker speaks to the media during NFL football Super Bowl LVIII opening night on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
In a statement to People magazine, the NFL clarified that Butker spoke from a “personal capacity” and reiterated the league’s stance on inclusion.
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“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, told the outlet. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
During his speech, Butker encouraged women to embrace what he called the “most important titles of all” as a Catholic.
“For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives,” he said. “I want to speak directly to you briefly, because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
Harrison Butker, #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs, kicks a field goal during the NFL Super Bowl LVIII football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
CHIEFS’ HARRISON BUTKER GOES AFTER BIDEN OVER ABORTION STANCE AS A CATHOLIC
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on this stage today and able to be the man that 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 also referenced Pride month in his speech, calling it a “deadly sin sort of pride that has a month dedicated to it,” and specifically pointed to Biden’s “delusional” stance on abortion.
“He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice,” he said, via OutKick.
Place kicker Harrison Butker, #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs, celebrates kicking a field goal in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 26, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Candice Ward/Getty Images)
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“He is not alone. From the man behind the COVID lockdowns, to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common — they are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn’t cut it.”
The Chiefs did not comment on Butker’s speech.
The Carolina Panthers selected Butker with the No. 233 overall pick in the 2017 draft. However, he never played in the regular season for them. He joined the Chiefs that year and has played in 107 games for them since then.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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