The NFL has responded to the controversy surrounding a graduation speech Harrison Butker made this past Saturday.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker went viral this week for his commencement speech at Benedictine College, a Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas. Commenters on social media widely condemned Butker's words as "misogynistic," "homophobic," and "transphobic."
"Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity," Jonathan Beane, senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer for the NFL, told People in a statement on Wednesday. "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."
.@NFL As a @Chiefs fan & season ticket holder I am appalled by Harrison Butker’s statements against women & other marginalized people. If this is an example of what to expect from your players in the future, I will no longer support your organization. pic.twitter.com/eyyVNpCy8EMay 15, 2024
Butker made a series of comments in his speech that offended swathes of people online.
"For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment," he said in one part of his talk.
"You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly, because I think it is you, the women, who have 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're 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."
He continued, "I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother."
(Butker and his wife got married in 2018, and share a young son and daughter.)
Not only did people blast the kicker's speech online, but they also quickly found out that his mother, Elizabeth Butker, is a physicist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Emory University School of Medicine, despite her son's views on women in the workplace.
it’s probably worth mentioning that harrison butker’s mom is an accomplished physicist and not a woman who just “stayed at home” pic.twitter.com/84JclGxbfdMay 15, 2024
Another piece of irony in Butker's speech? At one point, he quoted Taylor Swift—perhaps one of the most career-driven women ever—referring to her as his "teammate's girlfriend." (The teammate in question is of course Travis Kelce.)
I knew the Harrison Butker graduation speech was bad but turns out he says “as my teammates girlfriend says” in the speech as well….. he’s about to learn swifties are the wrong group to piss off 🥲May 15, 2024
Of course, this being the internet, people also brought the jokes, with one person tweeting, "As a woman, does watching Harrison Butker get cooked online count as being in the kitchen."
As a woman, does watching Harrison Butker get cooked online count as being in the kitchen.May 14, 2024
Butker was also slammed for apparently referring to Pride month as the "deadly sin sort of pride that has a month dedicated to it," and for condemning what he called "dangerous gender ideologies," which was widely read as taking aim at the trans community.
Following his speech, a petition has sprung up to dismiss Butker from the Chiefs, and counts over 85k signatures at time of writing.
Celebrities also responded to Butker's comments, with outspoken country star Maren Morris reposting a clip from his speech to her Instagram Stories with the caption, "I choose the bear." This is a reference to the viral question women are being asked online—if they were alone in the woods, would they prefer to encounter a strange man or a bear? Most women haven't hesitated to respond with "bear."
The rapper Flavor Flav tweeted, "Sounds like some players 'need to stay in their lanes' and shouldn’t be giving commencement speeches."
Sounds like some players “need to stay in their lanes” and shouldn’t be giving commencement speeches.May 14, 2024
Elsewhere, one fan dug out a previous interview of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in which he said, "I don't talk to Harrison all year long, man, I just let him do his thing. We sit right beside each other in team meeting and I don't say one word to him." Yikesssss.
Patrick Mahomes tried to tell us about Harrison Butker pic.twitter.com/i22HEAhFzrMay 15, 2024
