Harrison Butker addresses commencement backlash; ‘a shocking level of hate’
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has made his first public comments since his controversial commencement speech, claiming he has no regrets, despite people accusing him of sexism and homophobia.
Speaking at a gala in Nashville, Tenn. on Friday, Butker told the audience that he’s received “a shocking level of hate,” since the event.
“As to be expected, the more I’ve talked about what I value most — which is my Catholic faith — the more polarizing I’ve become. It’s a decision I’ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all,” Butker can be heard saying in a video obtained by the Daily Wire.
The 28-year-old kicker spoke during the “Courage Under Fire Gala,” hosted by the Regina Caeli Academy, a Catholic PreK-12 school.
“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now,” he continued.
On May 11, Butker created a storm of backlash when he gave a commencement speech at Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts institution in Kansas.
During that address, he described being a homemaker as one of the “most important” roles a woman can have, and shared that his wife’s life “truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
“Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world,” Butker said.
He also complained about people pushing “dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America” and appeared to take a shot at the LGBTQ+ community, discussing “the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it.”