Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has compared himself to a saint as he doubles down on his “misogynistic” speech he made saying that women are happier as “housewives.”
The 28-year-old gave a 20-minute speech last Saturday at the private Catholic liberal arts college in Kansas.
In it, she said that men should “fight against cultural castration” and encouraged women to be “housewives” instead of working.
On Friday night, he doubled down on his comments, comparing himself to Saint Daniel during another speech at a Regina Caeli Academy event in Nashville, Tennessee.
He said at the event: “Over the last few days, my beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the center of countless discussions around the world.”
On Friday night, he doubled down on his comments, comparing himself to Saint Daniel during another speech at a Regina Caeli Academy event in Nashville, Tennessee.
He continued: ‘At first, many people expressed a shocking level of hate. But as the days passed, even those who disagreed with my views shared their support for my freedom of religion.
“Unsurprisingly, the more I talk about what I value most, which is my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I have become.”
The kicker went on to say that his decision was one he “didn’t regret at all,” and said it wasn’t the people but Jesus Christ he was trying to please.
He continued: ‘I cannot help but tremble when I think of the courage that many saints have shown in their lives. Would it be so bold if the repercussions were what Daniel faced when he was fed to the lions?
‘Actually, any courage I have shown will lead to a little suffering since some people never like me.
‘If I constantly remember the difficulties that the saints went through, especially the martyrs and their persecution, everything seems not to be so bad.
‘For if heaven is our goal, we must embrace our cross, no matter how big or small, and live our lives with joy to be a bold witness for Christ.’
He also said he had been “humbled” by the support he had received from people for his comments.
Butker, an avowed Catholic, married and father of two, has been widely criticized for his comments last week.
Butker is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs since joining the team in 2017.
He added that his high school sweetheart and now wife Isabelle’s life only “really began when she began to live her calling as a wife and mother” after converting to her Catholic faith.
A petition demanding Butker’s release from the Chiefs and the NFL has gone viral in the wake of his controversial speech.
As of Saturday morning, more than 220,000 people had signed the petition to end his seven-season association with the Chiefs.
Travis Kelce earlier this week broke his silence and defended Butker for his comments, although he said he almost completely disagreed with them.
I’ve known him for more than years. I appreciate him as a teammate. “I think Pat (Mahomes, the Chiefs quarterback) said it best when he’s a great person and a great teammate,” he said.
‘He has treated the family and the family I introduced him to with nothing but respect and kindness. And that’s how he treats everyone.
‘When it comes to his views and what he said in the St. Benedict’s commencement speech, those are his. I can’t say I agree with most or any part of it other than that he loves his family and his children.
‘And I don’t think I should judge him for his views, especially his religious views, on how to live life, I’m just not like that.
Butker celebrates on the field with his wife Isabelle and son after defeating the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 19, 2020.
‘I grew up in a beautiful upbringing of different social classes, different religions, different races and ethnicities in Cleveland Heights and that’s why I love Cleveland Heights for what it was.
‘It showed me a broad spectrum, a broad view of many different areas of life. I appreciated each of those people for different reasons and never had to feel like I needed to judge them for their beliefs.
‘My home, my mother and father supported my family and both my mother and father made home what it was. They were housewives and providers. And they were incredible at being present every day of my life.
“I think it was a beautiful upbringing for me. Now, I don’t think everyone should do it like my parents did, but I certainly, of course, thank and love my parents for being able to provide and make my home what it was.
“I’m not the same person without both of them being who they were in my life.”
Jason Kelce also said he disagrees with Butker, but criticized the level of the backlash.
Butker, who was the seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 2017, has become one of the NFL’s best kickers, breaking the Chiefs’ franchise record with a 62-yard field goal in 2022.
He helped them win their first Super Bowl in 50 years in 2020, added a second Lombardi Trophy in 2023 and kicked the field goal that forced overtime in the Super Bowl victory over San Francisco in February.