Current:Home > InvestCharles Langston:NFL Responds to Kansas City Chiefs Player Harrison Butker's Controversial Graduation Speech -WorldMoney
Charles Langston:NFL Responds to Kansas City Chiefs Player Harrison Butker's Controversial Graduation Speech
Chainkeen View
Date:2025-04-08 22:12:35
The Charles LangstonNFL is making it clear that Harrison Butker does not speak for them.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker faced criticism for a May 11 commencement speech he gave at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., in which he touched on a number of topics from abortion to the role of women and LGBTQ+ rights.
Following the graduation address, the NFL clarified that Butker's comments do not represent the league as a whole.
"Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity," the NFL's senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane said in a statement to People. "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."
During his speech, Butker discussed various political and religious topics, and even quoted the song "Bejeweled" by Taylor Swift, the girlfriend of his teammate Travis Kelce.
"Tragically, so many priests revolve much of their happiness from the adulation they receive from their parishioners. And in searching for this, they let their guard down and become overly familiar," he "said. "This undue familiarity will prove to be problematic every time. Because as my teammate's girlfriend says, 'familiarity breeds contempt.'"
The 28-year-old also touched on the role he thinks women should play, saying that while many female graduates might "go on to lead successful careers in the world," he believes more of them are "most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world." According to the athlete, his wife Isabelle Butker "would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother."
Butker—who shares two children with Isabelle—additionally took aim at the LGBTQ+ community, saying that Pride Month is "the deadly sin sort of pride," and that the community promotes "dangerous gender ideologies."
He also added that while the COVID-19 pandemic "might've played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique."
"Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues," he continued. "Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values in media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder."
E! News reached out to reps for Swift, Butker and the Chiefs for comment but has yet to hear back.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (7161)
Related
- Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
- As G20 leaders prepare to meet in recently flooded New Delhi, climate policy issues are unresolved
- Mets slugger Pete Alonso reaches 40 homers to join very exclusive club
- Jimmy Buffett died after a four-year fight with a rare form of skin cancer, his website says
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Lionel Messi’s L.A. Game Scores Star-Studded Attendees: See Selena Gomez, Prince Harry and More
- COVID hospitalizations on the rise as U.S. enters Labor Day weekend
- Georgia football staffer Jarvis Jones arrested for speeding, reckless driving
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Alex Palou wins at Portland, wraps up second IndyCar championship with one race left
Ranking
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- The US government is eager to restore powers to keep dangerous chemicals out of extremists’ hands
- Lab-grown palm oil could offer environmentally-friendly alternative
- Far from the internet, these big, benevolent trolls lure humans to nature
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Student loan repayments surge ahead of official restart, but many may still be scrambling
- Breastfeeding With Implants? Here's What to Know After Pregnant Jessie James Decker Shared Her Concerns
- Smash Mouth Singer Steve Harwell Is in Hospice Care
Recommendation
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Corgis parade outside Buckingham Palace in remembrance of Queen Elizabeth II: See the photos
UAW’s clash with Big 3 automakers shows off a more confrontational union as strike deadline looms
In the pivotal South Carolina primary, Republican candidates search for a path against Donald Trump
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
Selena Gomez, Prince Harry part of star-studded crowd that sees Messi, Miami defeat LAFC
LSU football flops in loss to Florida State after Brian Kelly's brash prediction
Iconic Mexican rock band Mana pay tribute to Uvalde victim Maite Yuleana Rodriguez