Backlash against Harrison Butker grows: NFL wades it to say it does NOT support his controversial comments, leaders say he does not represent Kansas City and petition to cut him from Chiefs surges past 80,000

By James On May 16, 2024

The backlash against Chiefs star Harrison Butker continues to grow as the NFL issues a statement distancing the organization from his bizarre opening speech in which he told women they should aspire to become housewives.

That press release came as the petition to remove him from the Super Bowl champion roster had nearly 100,000 signatures. It was founded just a day after his speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

Butker, 28, who has made his conservative Catholic beliefs known, has also attacked Pride month, a particularly important time for the LGBTQ+ rights movement, and President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion.

‘Harrison Butker gave a speech in a personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusivity, which only makes our league stronger,” said Jonathan Beane, the league’s chief diversity and inclusion officer.

“His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusivity, which only makes our league stronger,” said Beane, who is also a senior vice president.

Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates on the field with his wife Isabelle and their son after defeating the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri

Butker detailed his views on gender roles for men and women at Benedictine College

The 2017 seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech has become one of the NFL’s best kickers, breaking the Chiefs’ franchise record with a 62-yard field goal in 2022

At the time of writing, the petition demanding Butker’s removal from the Chiefs has surpassed 80,000 signatures

At the time of writing, the Change.org petition, “Kansas City Chiefs Demand to Fire Harrison Butker for Discriminatory Comments,” has more than 80,000 signatures.

“These dehumanizing comments against LGBTQ+ people, attacks on abortion rights and racial discrimination perpetuate divisions and undermine human rights,” the report said.

The text of the petition described the speech as “sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-abortion and racist.”

By comparison, a petition titled “I Support Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker” has only 800 signatures.

Former Kansas City Commissioner Justice Horn also excoriated Butker in a social media post, writing, “Harrison Butker does not represent Kansas City, nor has he ever represented it. Kansas City has always been a place that welcomes, affirms and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members

Butker’s comments have been circulating on the internet for days.

“I think it’s you, the women, who have been told the most diabolical lies,” the Georgia Tech graduate said.

“Some of you may have 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,” he said.

“I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly began when she began living her calling as a wife and as a mother.”

Butker said his wife embraced “one of the most important titles of all.” Housewife.’

He also criticized an article by The Associated Press that highlighted a shift toward conservatism in some parts of the church as discrediting the Catholic Church.

The three-time Super Bowl champion delivered his roughly 20-minute speech Saturday at the Catholic private liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, which is about 60 miles north of Kansas City.

He received a standing ovation from graduates and other attendees.

Butler, 28, referred to a “deadly sin kind of pride that a month is dedicated to” in an indirect reference to Pride month.

Butler also took aim at Biden’s policies, including his condemnation of the Supreme Court’s reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and his advocacy for freedom of choice — a major campaign issue in the 2024 presidential race.

Biden, who is Catholic, has a fraught history on this issue. He initially opposed the Roe v. Wade decision, saying it went too far. He also opposed federal funding for abortions and supported restrictions on abortions later in pregnancy.

Butker also addressed Biden’s response to COVID-19, which has killed nearly 1.2 million people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“While COVID may have played a major role during your formative years, it is not unique,” he said. ‘Bad policies and leadership have negatively affected major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as growing support for degenerate cultural values and media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.”

Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with his children after kicking the green field goal to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona

Graduates had mixed opinions about the speech. ValerieAnne Volpe, 20, an art graduate, praised Butker for saying things that “people are afraid to say.”

‘You just hear that he loves his wife. You can tell he loves his family,” she said.

Elle Wilbers, 22, who is attending medical school, said she was shocked by Butker’s criticism of priests and bishops and his reference to the LGBTQ+ community, which she described as “terrible.”

“We need to have compassion for the people who have been told all their lives that the person they love is, it’s not okay to love that person,” Wilbers said.

Kassidy Neuner, 22, who will spend a gap year teaching before attending law school, said being a stay-at-home parent is “a great decision.”

“And it’s not for everyone either,” Neuner added, saying, “I think he should have emphasized more that it’s not always an option. And if it’s your option in life, that’s great for you. But there is also the opportunity to be a mother and a career woman.’

The Chiefs declined to comment on Butker’s speech.

The 2017 seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech has emerged as one of the NFL’s best kickers, breaking the Chiefs’ franchise record with a 62-yard field goal in 2022.

Butker helped them win their first Super Bowl in 50 years in 2020, added a second Lombardi Trophy in 2023, and he kicked the field goal that forced overtime in a Super Bowl win over San Francisco in February.

Butker’s speech at the Catholic private liberal arts school in Kansas

“It’s safe to say that over the years I have built a reputation for being able to speak my mind,” Butker said at the start of his speech.

Addressing the men in the audience, he said, “To the gentlemen here today: Part of what is plaguing society is the lie you have been told that men are not needed in the home or in our communities.

“As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is missing, disorder, dysfunction and chaos ensue.

“This absence of men in the home plays a major role in the violence we see across the country.

‘…Be unapologetic in your masculinity. Fight against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy.”

Butker even quoted Taylor Swift, though he only referred to her as “his teammate’s girlfriend.”

“As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘fame breeds contempt,’” he told the crowd, referencing Swift’s song Bejeweled from her 2022 album Midnights.

He also addressed the women during the ceremony: ‘I think you, the women, have been told the most devilish lies.

“Some of you may have 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.

“I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly began when she began living her calling as a wife and as a mother.

“I stand on this stage today and I can be the man I am because I have a wife who is focused on her calling.”

“I have been beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success has been made possible because a girl I met in band class in high school would convert to the faith , would become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all: housewife.’

Butker also criticized the Biden administration: “While COVID may have played a major role during your formative years, it is not unique,” he said.

‘Bad policies and leadership have negatively affected major life issues.

“Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as growing support for degenerate cultural values and media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.”