Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce came to the defense of Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker amid the controversy surrounding the latter’s recent remarks about the traditional family unit. “When it comes down to his views and what he said at the St. Benedictine’s commencement speech, those are his. I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it, outside of just him loving his family and his kids, and I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life. That’s just not who I am,” Kelce said.
“I’ve known him for seven plus years, probably, eight plus years. And I cherish him as a teammate,” the boyfriend of pop sensation Taylor Swift continued. “He’s treated friends and family that I’ve introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness, and that’s how he treats everyone.”
Travis Kelce responds to Harrison Butker’s Commencement Speechpic.twitter.com/9ECvtfljpO
— Valuetainment Media (@ValuetainmentTV) May 24, 2024
As Valuetainment previously reported, Harrison Butker caused controversy with a commencement speech he gave on traditional gender roles to the graduating class of Benedictine College, a private Catholic university in Atchison, Kansas. Most of the ire he received was directed toward his statements on the dignity of motherhood and the “diabolical” results of the feminist social movement.
Not a word Harrison Butker says here should be remotely controversial. He’s 100% correct.
Those trying to convince women that being assistant VP of lending & intentionally childless at age 40 is more fulfilling than making a family and home are evil. pic.twitter.com/0URPHTVSMx
— T.J. Moe (@TJMoe28) May 15, 2024
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Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes weighed in on the controversy as well. “I’ve seen the clips… That’s his views,” he told The Athletic, the sports outlet of The New York Times. “I judge him by the character he shows every day and that’s a good person,” adding, “We’re not always going to agree. He said certain things I don’t agree with.”
The NFL sang a different tune in the initial fallout from Butker’s remarks. “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. 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,” said senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane in a statement provided to PEOPLE.
The nuns of the Benedictine College criticized Butker for his remarks. “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 been so invested,” they said, adding that it “fostered division” in the community.
Meanwhile, Tavia Hunt, the wife of Chiefs CEO and chairman Clark Hunt, defended Butker amid the backlash, as did their daughter Gracie. “Affirming motherhood and praising your wife, as well as highlighting the sacrifice and dedication it takes to be a mother, is not bigoted. It is empowering to acknowledge that a woman’s hard work in raising children is not in vain,” Tavia wrote. “I really respect Harrison and his Christian faith and what he’s accomplished on and off the field,” added Gracie.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics and business for VT and a regular guest on The Unusual Suspects. Follow Shane’s work here.
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