Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is challenging men to step up in the wake of the deadly shooting at the team’s Super Bowl rally last month.
“I had to do a lot of thinking about what took place at the parade,” he told EWTN. “I know that gun violence was a big discussion, but at the end of the day this is degenerative violence, and it should not be occurring. I think we need strong fathers in the home. We need men that are leading, that are setting good examples, that are teaching the young men in our society that violence is not the way to handle our disputes.”
Disc jockey Lisa Lopez-Galvan was killed and nearly two dozen others were wounded in the shooting near Union Station. Three men face federal gun charges in the incident.
“It’s very unfortunate what happened,” Butker said. “Unfortunately, many, many children were injured. A beautiful young lady was killed over someone getting offended and turning to violence to handle that dispute. It’s so sad. I don’t think guns are the issue. I think we need fathers in the home that are being great examples for our youth.”
Lopez-Galvan was shot and killed while wearing Butker’s jersey. The family asked Butker if he could provide one of his jerseys so she could be laid to rest in it. He agreed to give her family his jersey.
“I never set out to be an NFL kicker,” he said. “I never set out to have this platform. I never thought I’d be having this success in the NFL that I am. I never wanted to be this public person that people look to to see what their ideas are, what their stances are on different subjects, but because of that, it has given me a great following of people like this amazing woman.
“It’s the faith. It was the most important thing in her life. It’s the most important thing in my life. And to be able to receive that encouragement, that love, even though I never met her, I heard from her family how much she was encouraged by me and loved all my work, it’s just very encouraging for me to continue on the path that I’m on and to be unwavering in my beliefs.”
–Alan Goforth | MV