Kelly Stafford weighs in on Harrison Butker saga with passionate rant after Chiefs kicker’s controversial speech: ‘It is a choice’
Kelly Stafford has spoken out about the Harrison Butker controversy amid outrage over the Kansas City Chiefs kicker’s opening statement last weekend.
Butker drew ire as he addressed Benedictine College graduates last Saturday after taking aim at women, the LGBTQ+ community and more in a divisive appearance.
A number of high-profile figures were quick to blast the three-time Super Bowl winner; who caused offense by suggesting women should be stay-at-home mothers rather than careerists, mocking Pride Month and criticizing pro-abortion positions.
And Stafford, the wife of LA Rams quarterback Matthew, is the latest to question Butker’s comments in a series of posts on Instagram.
“I just want to highlight a few things,” she said in a video posted by her and Hank Winchester’s “Morning After” podcast. ‘It’s a choice. It is a woman’s choice whether she is just a mother.
Kelly Stafford (right) has spoken out about the Harrison Butker controversy (left)
Butker sparked outrage after targeting women, the LGBTQ+ community and more in opinion-dividing speech at Benedictine College
Stafford, the wife of LA Rams quarterback Matthew, hit out at the Chiefs kicker in a lengthy tirade
‘It is a woman’s choice whether she decides to become a career woman. It’s a woman’s choice if she decides to do both and balance that and do all of that. And I think if anyone stands up in a speech and tells women who have worked really hard for four years, possibly paid off their money and now they’re in debt and they need a career, their biggest success story is going to be a mother and a wife and don’t get me started wrong, that may be so… but it is their choice whether they do that or not.
“To tell them that they’ve been ‘devilishly lied to,’ you know, in a world where things are tough, I feel like we’re putting each other down all the time. I feel like building each other up to build up men and women, not tear them down, because you know what, there are smart women who can change this world. And to tell them that they don’t really belong in the workplace.’
In his speech, Butker also addressed the topic of IVF and surrogacy, criticizing those who pursue either option in an attempt to have children.
“Let’s face it, there’s nothing good about playing God with having children, whether that’s your ideal number or the perfect time to get pregnant,” he said.
Stafford, who underwent IVF after previous fertility problems, says these comments “affected” her.
“To further that, I’m a damn good mother and I do my best to raise my kids to make this world a better place,” she continued.
“And I know many mothers who have used IVF and surrogacy and are doing the same and raising their children the right way. So we deserve children.’
She criticized Butker’s views on abortion, IVF and surrogacy on her Instagram stories and on her podcast
Stafford added about Butker’s comments about homosexuality, which he called a “deadly sin”: “To pass judgment on gays – and Hank is one of the greatest men I know – and as Christians I feel like it’s our job to to judge, and not to judge. judgment, but also to just cheer each other up, because in the end we don’t decide.
‘You have to live with the choice you make. So make sure you make your choice for yourself and not because other people tell you where you belong.
“If I was sitting there and my daughters were graduating and a man stood up and said there’s probably no career insight for them, I would find that very difficult. And I really hope that we put all of this behind us and learn that women are incredibly smart and that if we can use their brains and the brains of men, I feel like this world would be a better place.”
A petition calling for Butker to be fired by the Chiefs has now received more than 200,000 signatures, while the NFL has also distanced itself from his controversial comments.