Harrison Butker spoke to local Kansas City media at training camp today for the first time since his controversial May commencement speech at Benedictine College.
Butker became a lightning rod for suggesting that some of its female graduates looked forward to being wives and mothers more than entering the working world.
The Chiefs kicker isn’t backing down from those comments.
Butker recently signed a $25.6 million contract with the Chiefs to become the highest-paid place kicker in the NFL. He is coming off a career-best season in which he hit 94.3 percent of his field goal attempts and was a perfect 11-for-11 in field goals for the Chiefs’ most recent Super Bowl run.
Today, Butker said he “respected all the viewpoints” of people who disagreed with his speech, which included criticisms of President Joe Biden and his handling of COVID-19, and comments on abortion, IVF, surrogacy, and euthanasia.
“I prayed about it, I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said,” Butker said of his speech. “I stand by what I said.
“I really believe if people knew me as a person, and understood that it was coming from a place of love, and not a place of trying to attract or put people down,” Butker added. “I only want the best for people, that’s what I was trying to say there. I think the people that were in that gymnasium all understood what I was saying.”
Butker was criticized by many in the sports world, including Serena Williams at the ESPY Awards and a former Chiefs cheerleader.
“I’ve been in the league now seven years and I do have a platform,” Butker added Wednesday. “So with that comes people that want me to state what I believe to be very important.”
“I’m going to continue to say what I believe to be true and love everyone along the way.”
The Chiefs start the quest for their third-straight championship on Sept. 5 against the Ravens on Thursday Night Football.
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