The backlash against Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker continues after his weekend commencement speech at Benedictine College. The devout Catholic called out weak bishops and President Joe Biden’s “delusional” stance on abortion.
“He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice,” Butker said. “He is not alone. From the man behind the COVID lockdowns to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common — they are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn’t cut it.”
Social media is also abuzz about the way Butker spoke about the role of women.
“For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. 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 get in your career? 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.
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. I’m on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”
That statement was followed by a full 18 seconds of applause.
There has also been a lot of backlash against his statements about male roles.
“To the gentlemen here today: Part of what plagues our society is this lie that has been told to you 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 absent, disorder, dysfunction, and chaos set in. This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation. Other countries do not have nearly the same absentee father rates as we find here in the U.S., and a correlation could be made in their drastically lower violence rates, as well.
Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy. You might have a talent that you don’t necessarily enjoy, but if it glorifies God, maybe you should lean into that over something that you might think suits you better. I speak from experience as an introvert who now finds myself as an amateur public speaker and an entrepreneur, something I never thought I’d be when I received my industrial engineering degree.”
On Wednesday, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas apologized after the city’s official “X” account tweeted a message criticizing Butker.
“A message appeared earlier this evening from a City public account,” he said. “The message was clearly inappropriate for a public account. The city has correctly apologized for the error, will review account access and ensure nothing like it is shared in the future from public channels.”
Many of the comments rely on false interpretations of Butker’s words, including in an article by the Kansas City Star and the local NPR station.
Butker also is now in the crosshairs of multiple petitions at change.org that call “upon the Kansas City Chiefs management to dismiss Harrison Butker immediately for his inappropriate conduct.” There isn’t just one petition but two that are calling for Butker, the Chiefs’ kicker, to get the boot, according to Outkick. The more prolific of those two petitions set its initial goal of 35,000 signatures and already has 39,967.
Some members of the liberal sports media are calling Butker an idiot or idiotic on social media, despite the fact he has a degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech.
“These comments reinforce harmful stereotypes that threaten social progress,” the petition reads. “They create a toxic environment that hinders our collective efforts toward equality, diversity and inclusion in society. It is unacceptable for such a public figure to use their platform to foster harm rather than unity.”
It should be noted that Butker did no go on talk shows, or call a press conference to espouse his views. He was invited to give a commencement speech at a Catholic university.
Butker also encouraged the graduates to understand and “stop pretending that the Church of Nice is a winning proposal” and to “never mistake charity for cowardice.”
“The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion,” he said. “We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority.”
Butker also hit out at Biden over “poor leadership” that had “negatively affected” their lives.
“While COVID might have played a large role throughout your formative years, it is not unique,” he said “The bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues. Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder.”
The full text of the speech can be found here.
–Alan Goforth and Lee Hartman | Metro Voice