![Travis Kelce]()
Before this past week or so, I probably couldn't have even told you who the kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs was.
But over the past few days, Harrison Butker has caused quite the stir and has everybody coming out of the woodwork to either condemn or praise him.
The Chiefs kicker gave a
commencement speech at Benedictine College recently, and caused quite the stir with some of his comments:
https://twitter.com/thattradgal/status/1790577954520432862?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1790577954520432862%7Ctwgr%5Ee76321fdf3931d8859271ceba270396dfed2bb5c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D594956action%3Dedit
To some, Butker basically told women to stay in the kitchen, be content to raise a family, and not get carried away with any career-driven aspirations. Others praised it as simply affirming the importance of women as wives and mothers. But whichever side people fell on, they were quick to jump in with their opinions.
Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder had some harsh words for Butker:
"He was telling men, don’t forget to puff up your chest, and be more masculine. Don’t lose your masculinity. The irony was that when he was saying that, he looked like such a f*****g p***y. There’s nothing more masculine than a strong man supporting a strong woman. People of quality do not fear equality."
But meanwhile, Butker's coach and teammates (you know, the people who actually know him) have been largely supportive of him - even if they don't necessarily agree with everything he said.
Weird concept, I know.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid took a brutal shot at the media when they asked him to respond to his kicker's comments:
"I don't think he was speaking ill of women. He has his opinions and we all respect that. I let you guys in this room and you have a lot of opinions that I don't like."
https://twitter.com/hbtCHIEFS/status/1793344882213638659
And quarterback Patrick Mahomes also downplayed the situation and voiced his support for Butker:
"I know him. I've known him for seven years. I judge him by the character that he shows every single day, and that's a good person. That's someone who cares about the people around him, cares about his family...
There’s certain things that he said that I don’t necessarily agree with but I understand the person that he is and he’s trying to to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction."
https://twitter.com/JonnyRoot_/status/1793370622615314788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1793370622615314788%7Ctwgr%5E4c250b814f2a07f8bb1968951b72d8eb55a8a78c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.whiskeyriff.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D594956action%3Dedit
Well, add tight end (and Taylor Swift's boyfriend) Travis Kelce to those Chiefs coming out in support of Butker.
During an episode of his
New Heights podcast, Kelce and his brother Jason addressed the kicker's comments. And while Travis said he didn't agree with all - or even most - of what Butker said, he knows that he's a good person:
"I've known him for 7+ years probably, 8+ years. And I cherish him as a teammate. I think Pat said it best where, he is every bit of a great person and a great teammate. He's treated friends and family that I've introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness. And that's how he treats everyone.
When it comes down to his views...those are his. I can't say that I agree with the majority of it, or just about any of it, outside of just him loving his family and his kids. And I don't think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life. That's just not who I am."
And Jason Kelce had a hilariously tongue-in-cheek response to Butker's comments:
https://twitter.com/_MLFootball/status/1794052334437212510
Seems like this whole "controversy" is going to be more of an issue on Twitter and in the media than it is in the locker room.
https://youtu.be/XzXZM1wLRJk?si=Y3dl6Aakzu7LacsO&t=1423
