NFL sent dismissal message to Chiefs on kicker Harrison Butker’s anti-LGBTQ+ speech

admin | May 19, 2024 | Other Clubs | No Comments

The NFL has distanced itself from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s conservative remarks.

On May 11, the 28-year-old football player delivered a commencement speech to Benedictine College’s 2024 graduating class.

During his 20-minute lecture, Butker made a number of surprising assertions, some of which criticized women in the workplace.

“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” replied the man.

“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 also made jabs at the LGBTQIA+ community and Pride Month, claiming that world leaders were “pushing dangerous ideologies onto the youth of America” and praising Benedictine students for taking pride in their faith before adding, “[but] not the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it.”

Finally, the conservative athlete claimed that abortion, IVF, surrogacy euthanasia, and “support for degenerate cultural values and media” stem from the “pervasiveness of disorder” in the globe.

Butker has faced widespread criticism on social media for his sexist and anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiments, with some users beginning a Change.org petition to have him removed as the Chiefs’ kicker. As of this writing, it has received more than 200,000 signatures.

He’s even been chastised by Taylor Swift fans for using her song ‘Bejeweled’ to reinforce his conservative points.

In response to the backlash from Chiefs fans and beyond, the NFL released a statement distancing themselves from Butker’s sexist and anti-LGBTQIA+ speech.

@changedotorg A Change.org petition is calling on the Chiefs to dismiss kicker Harrison Butker for making several dehumanizing remarks during his commencement speech at Benedictine College on May 11th. Here’s what the three-time Super Bowl champion said about women, Pride Month, COVID, abortion, and more … If you want to read or sign the petition, head to our link in bio. #HarrisonButker #commencement #graduation #chiefs #nfl ♬ original sound – Change.org

“Harrison Butker delivered a speech in his personal capacity. Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and top diversity and inclusion officer, stated in a written statement to PEOPLE that his opinions do not reflect those of the organization.

“The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”

The NFL was hardly the only organization to criticize Butker. On May 18, the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, a sponsor and founding institution of Benedictine College, issued a statement criticizing the kicker’s statement.

“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 stated.

“Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division.”

GLAAD, a non-profit LGBTQIA+ organization, also slammed Butker and issued a lengthy fact-check document refuting his views.

“Traditionally, commencement speeches are intended to honor and motivate graduates and their families. GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis stated that Kansas City Chiefs star Harrison Butker’s graduating speech was not just an obvious fail, but also wrong, ill-informed, and shamefully out of step with Americans regarding Pride, LGBTQ people, and women.

As of this writing, the Kansas City Chiefs have not issued an official statement on the subject.