- During his 20-minute speech, Harrison Butker called Pride Month a mortal sin.
- The kicker also took aim at US President Joe Biden for supporting abortion.
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The NFL remains committed to welcoming women and members of the LGBTQ+ community amid Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial commencement speech.
On May 11, the 28-year-old spoke to Benedictine College graduates and quickly received backlash for suggesting that women should not be in the workplace and referring to Pride Month as a mortal sin.
On Wednesday, NFL chief diversity officer Jonathan Beane said outdoor sports that Butker’s comments do not reflect the league’s values.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Beane told Outsports in a written statement.
“Their views are not those of the NFL as an organization,” he continued. “The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only strengthens our league.”
The NFL issued a statement after Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s controversial speech
NFL boss Jonathan Beane said Butker’s comments do not reflect league values
During a graduation speech, Butker criticized women and took aim at the LGBTQ+ community
The NFL maximized its efforts to create an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ fans and employees.
In doing so, the league launched rainbow-inspired NFL Pride gear and hosted multiple Pride parties at the Super Bowl. They also published a video that said: ‘Football is gay.’ Soccer is weird. Football is accepting’, in 2021.
Aside from the general outburst that came with his controversial statements, Butker outraged Taylor Swift fans by using her lyrics in the incendiary speech.
“As my teammate’s girlfriend says: Familiarity breeds contempt,” Butker told the graduates. Upon hearing of the mention, Swifties quickly took to social media to criticize Butker for her message.
“Who’s going to tell Harrison Butker that you can’t quote Taylor Swift when you’re a misogynistic asshole?” wrote one user on X.
“Oh Harrison Butker, I don’t think you got the message of the Taylor Swift song you quoted,” another added. “Go listen to all of her albums for homework.”
Butker, always outspoken about his conservative Catholic worldview, insisted that women should stay home and raise their children rather than work. He also urged male students to “make no apologies for their masculinity.”
Butker was criticized by Taylor Swift fans for using her lyrics in the incendiary speech.
In his 20-minute speech, Butker also criticized US President Joe Biden for supporting abortion.
“To the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing achievement,” Butker said in his 20-minute speech. ‘I want to speak directly to you because I believe it is you, the women, who have been told the most diabolical lies. How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to achieve in your career?
“Some of you may go on to have successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that most of you are more excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
Butker added that his wife Isabelle “would be the first to say that her life really began when she began to live her calling as a wife and mother.” He then praised his companion for ‘[embracing] one of the most important titles of all: Housewife.
“Fight the cultural emasculation of men,” he urged the male graduates. ‘Part of what ails our society is this lie they have been told that men are not necessary in the home or in our communities. As men, we set the tone of the culture, and when that is missing, disorder, dysfunction and chaos ensue.’
