In his first public feedback since a divisive commencement speech that sparked accusations of sexism and homophobia, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker stated he has no regrets about expressing his perspectives.
“As to be expected, the more I’ve talked about what I value most — which is my Catholic faith — the more polarizing I’ve become. It’s a decision I’ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all,” Butker stated Friday night in an cope with at a gala in Nashville, Tennessee.
The “Courage Under Fire Gala” used to be hosted by means of the Regina Caeli Academy, which provides hybrid homeschooling for Catholic households. Butker is at the academy’s board of administrators. The Daily Wire, a conservative news web site, used to be first to put up a video of Butker’s speech on Friday.
In his cope with, Butker added, “if it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now.”
The feedback seemed to be a reaction to controversy bobbing up out of a commencement cope with Butker gave previous this month at Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts college in Kansas. In a part of the speech that briefly went viral, Butker stated being a homemaker used to be one of the most “most important” titles a lady may just cling, including that his personal spouse’s existence “truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” he stated, and added, “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.”
At different moments, Butker lamented individuals who push “dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America” and gave the impression to reference LGBTQ+ Pride Month as “the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it.”
He additionally referred to “the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion” and stated abortion, in vitro fertilization and surrogacy “stem from the pervasiveness of disorder.”
Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s leader variety and inclusion officer, stated remaining week that Butker used to be talking in a private capability.
“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,” Beane stated in a observation.
Butker did not reply to previous requests for remark from NBC News.
At the gala on Friday, Butker stated he believed that public opinion about his commencement feedback had advanced with time.
“At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate. But as the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion,” he stated.
Several of Butker’s Chiefs teammates have certainly emphasised his proper to precise his ideals brazenly.
Tight finish Travis Kelce stated Friday on his “New Heights” podcast that Butker is a brilliant particular person and teammate.
“When it comes down to his views and what he said at Saint Benedict’s commencement speech, those are his,” Kelce stated. “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.”
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes also known as Butker a “great person” whilst chatting with newshounds remaining week.
“There’s some things he said I don’t necessarily agree with, but I understand the person that he is, and he’s trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction,” Mahomes stated.
Associated Press contributed.
