Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker said on Wednesday that he was “very intentional” with the comments he made in his controversial college commencement speech in May and that he stands by what he said.
Butker explained that he didn’t originally plan to give the May 11 speech at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas.
He had already given a commencement speech at his alma mater Georgia Tech in May 2023 and didn’t “want to be known as a commencement speaker,” he said. However, he changed his mind after thinking about his connection with the college.
“I feel like, seven years in the league, having this platform, I’ve just decided, You know what, there’s things that I believe wholeheartedly that I think will make this world a better place, and I’m going to preach that.
And if people don’t agree, they don’t agree, but I’m going to continue to say what I believe to be true and love everyone along the way,” Butker said.
Regarding the speech, Butker added, “I prayed about it, and I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said, and I stand behind what I said.”
In the speech, the three-time Super Bowl champion told the graduating class that most of the women receiving degrees were probably more excited about getting married and having children, and criticized some Catholic leaders for “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.”
Butker also criticized Pride month, a significant time for the LGBTQ+ community, and President Joe Biden’s views on abortion.
The NFL distanced itself from Butker after the speech, stating that “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said at the time that, although he doesn’t agree with all of Butker’s beliefs shared in the speech, he respects his teammate’s right to express them.
