Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker delivered a controversial graduation speech days ago, but the backlash has not been lifted.
On May 11, Butker addressed the class of 2024 at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Throughout his address, Butker criticized birth control, IVF, Pride Month, and other issues while urging women to be stay-at-home moms.
Apart from denouncing Pride Month as a “deadly sin” and lamenting diversity and equity campaigns, Butker also caused a stir when he proposed that women would be better off marrying and starting families than pursuing jobs.
The City of Kansas City’s official X account was criticized for removing a post on Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. The account operator made an excessively personal jab at Butker.
The message revealed his whereabouts, stating that Butker resides in a different Missourian city.
“We apologize [sic] for our previous tweet. It was shared in error,” the post read.
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Although the post was taken down, Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, addressed the matter in a different post, labeling it as “clearly inappropriate.”
“A message appeared earlier this evening from a City public account. The message was clearly inappropriate for a public account. The City has correctly apologized for the error, will review account access, and ensure nothing like it is shared in the future from public channels.”
The outcry has grown since Butker made the remarks on Saturday during a speech to graduates at Benedictine College, a small Catholic university in Atchison, Kansas.
Harrison Butker’s remarks do not represent the opinions of the NFL, according to a statement released by the league on Wednesday.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization,” said Senior Vice President Jonathan Beane, the league’s chief diversity and inclusion officer. “The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
GLAAD also released a statement regarding Butker’s remarks during Pride Month, labeling it as “a clear miss” and “woefully out of step with Americans about Pride, LGBTQ people, and women.”
The Chiefs, the reigning Super Bowl winners, have not made an announcement regarding the situation.
Harrison Butker’s Comments On Women Are Garnering The Most Attention
Butker asserted, in front of about 485 male and female graduates, that a woman’s achievements at home are more significant than her aspirations in the classroom or in her career.
“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,” he said.
“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,” per CNN.com.
Butker also praised his wife, Isabelle, saying she “would be the first to say her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
Many others were offended by Butker’s reference to Swift, the pop singer who is currently dating Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and was a regular at Chiefs games last season, including the Super Bowl.
