Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker Stirs Controversy with Comments on Pride
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Published on May 15, 2024
Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker Stirs Controversy with Comments on Pride Month, Biden at Benedictine CollegeSource: Wikipedia/Airman 1st Class William Lunn, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

When Kansas City Chiefs' kicker Harrison Butker took the stage at Benedictine College's commencement, it wasn't just a celebratory speech the Super Bowl champ had in store – he kicked up a storm of controversy too, bashing Pride month and President Biden's governance along with issuing some traditionalist takes on women's roles in society.

Butker, himself a Georgia Tech legend, didn't shy away from deep-diving into what he deems "dangerous gender ideologies," a jab directed at Pride Month festivities, and he didn't pull his punches when he came to discussing national policy and leadership either in comments that have since sparked heated discourse, according to WABE News.

The Chiefs kicker pointed the finger at what he described as "the pervasiveness of disorder," criticizing President Biden over the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, he had quite the list of gripes ranging from abortion to media values all of which he highlighted during his roughly 20-minute speech to the new grads, as per WABE News.

On the heels of his comments, Butker addressed women in the audience directly, suggesting that "the most important title" for a woman is "homemaker," and insisted many are eagerly looking forward to marriage and motherhood, "I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you," Butker said, as reported by WABE News; a sentiment which is sure to elicit mixed reactions amidst contemporary discourse on gender roles.

The Kansas City Chiefs have kept lips sealed regarding Butker's comments at the commencement, his sterling reputation as one of NFL’s top kickers, capped by a 62-yard franchise record field goal and a pair of Super Bowl victories, somewhat eclipsed by this latest off-field fiasco.

The Chiefs organization, however, might be licking its wounds for more reasons than one after voters recently stamped out a funding initiative for stadium renovations, a plan criticized for catering to the creme de la creme at the expense of others, this not long after wide receiver Rashee Rice found himself embroiled in legal snags following a Dallas high-speed crash involving multiple injuries, the team preferring to watch the 'legal process play out,' Coach Andy Reid told WABE News.