Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker raised questions about Pride Month, working women, U.S. President Joe Biden’s leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and abortion during his commencement speech at Benedictine College over the weekend criticized.
The three-time Super Bowl champion spoke for about 20 minutes Saturday at the Catholic private liberal arts school in Atchison, Kan., about 60 miles north of Kansas City.
Bartek, who is known for his conservative Catholic faith, began his speech by attacking what he called “dangerous gender ideologies,” an apparent reference to Pride Month, which has been celebrated every June since the Stonewall riots in 1969. An Associated Press article highlights the shift toward conservatism in some parts of the Catholic Church.
Butker, 28, then took aim at Biden’s policies, including his response to Covid-19, which has killed nearly 1.2 million people in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“While COVID-19 may have played a significant role in your upbringing, it is not unique,” he said. “Bad policy and poor leadership have a negative impact on major life issues. Abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, and growing support for degenerate cultural values and the media all stem from widespread chaos.
Bartek later addressed the women in the audience, arguing that their “most important title” should be “housewife.”
“I think the most vicious lies these women have ever heard are from you,” Butker said. “Some of you may go on to have successful careers in the world, but I would hazard a guess that most of you People are most excited about their marriage and the children they are bringing into the world and I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle will be the first to say that her life truly began when she began her career as a wife and mother.
The Chiefs declined to comment on Butker’s commencement address.
The 2017 seventh-round pick out of Georgia Tech has emerged as one of the NFL’s best kickers, breaking the Chiefs franchise record with a 62-yard field goal in 2022. won his first Super Bowl in 50 years, adding that he won his second Lombardi Trophy in 2023 and scored a field goal in February’s Super Bowl victory over San Francisco that sent the team into overtime.
It’s been an awkward offseason for the Chiefs, though.
Last month, voters in Jackson County, Missouri, resoundingly rejected a ballot initiative that would have helped pay for the Royals’ downtown ballpark and an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Chiefs. Many voters criticized the Chiefs’ proposed plan that catered primarily to VIPs and the wealthy.
That same week, wide receiver Rashee Rice turned himself in to Dallas police on charges including aggravated assault following a high-speed crash that injured four people. Rice admitted he was the driver of one of the sports cars that reached speeds in excess of 100 mph, and the video shows him leaving the scene without providing information or determining whether anyone needed medical attention.
Last week, law enforcement officials told The Dallas Morning News that Rice was also suspected of assaulting someone at a downtown nightclub; Dallas police did not name Rice as a suspect in a detailed report to The Associated Press.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he has spoken with the receiver and the team is letting the legal process play out.
