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Kansas City Chiefs star Harrison Butker’s controversial past from sexist remarks to ‘vile’ graduation speech
The NFL star once celebrated winning a Super Bowl by spending a week in a monastery
KANSAS City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has never tried to hide his conservative Catholic beliefs.
After all, the three-time Super Bowl champion proudly wore a pro-life tie when the Chiefs visited the White House in 2023.
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But Butker has now become as known for his controversial views on abortion and LGBTQ+ rights as his kicking abilities following a highly-provocative graduation speech.
In a now viral speech at the Benedictine College graduation ceremony, Butker rallied against a range of issues from Pride Month, working women and Covid-19 lockdown measures.
Butker told female graduates at the small Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas, they had been told "diabolic lies," and the "most important" role a woman can hold is the title of homemaker.
"Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world," Butker said, using his wife Isabelle as an example.
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"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."
Butker went on to criticize President Joe Biden’s leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and for his participation in a pro-abortion rally.
The NFL star also singled out male members of the audience, telling them to "be unapologetic in your masculinity," and "fight against the cultural emasculation of men."
He also spoke out against Pride month, claiming the LGBTQ+ community promoted "dangerous gender ideologies."
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But Butker's views – which sparked a huge backlash in the NFL landscape – are far from new.
The Chiefs star has made it clear that he does not view being an NFL star as the most important thing in his life.
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“I want to be a saint. And that’s the most important thing, and that’s why I’m here on this Earth,” Butker told EWTN News In Depth’s Colm Flynn.
“I’m not just making kicks so that I can make money and I can puff myself up as this great person that people want to be like one day.
"I’m making kicks because God wants me to have a platform, at least for right now, to share this message of faith, of growing in virtue, of growing closer to the sacraments and of being a saint.”
During last year's Super Bowl, Butker wore a brown scapular around his neck.
A scapular, which is made up of two pieces of brown wool and is worn hanging across one’s chest and back, is a sacramental from the Carmelite tradition as a sign of their consecration to Mary, per the Catholic News Agency.
The week after the Super Bowl, Butker spent time in prayer and reflection at a monastery in Los Angeles.
“Some devils are only cast out by prayer and fasting. We need to embrace this penance to bring order into all the chaos amongst us,” Butker said in a video posted to the abbey’s YouTube page.
“So, best of luck during this Lenten season.”
Last June, Butker wore a tie which read "Vulnerari Praesidio" – a Latin term that translates to "Protect the most vulnerable" – in cursive writing all over it when the Chiefs visited the White House.
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The gray tie was created in conjunction with the pro-life advocacy group Live Action.
Butker also wore a gold pin representing the exact-size feet a 10-week-old baby would have.
"The unborn, to me, are the greatest victims of our society," he said, per Fox News.
"They don’t have a voice. They don’t necessarily look like humans. They’re not very big.
"They can’t fight for themselves. There’s not a lot of people that are fighting for them.
"And I just think it’s a great atrocity that’s occurring in this country with massacring the unborn.
"I felt like there’s no better place to send this message than to the masses and to represent the unborn at a place like the White House where unfortunately their voice is not heard."
Butker is also a member of the Knights of Columbus, a global Catholic fraternal service order.
Butker's most controversial remarks from speech
The NFL has distanced themselves from the comments
Harrison Butker's commencement speech at Benedictine College has gone viral after he spoke out on abortion, Pride month, and Covid-19 lockdown measures.
An outspoken Catholic, the NFL kicker urged students to stay on the path of righteousness and religion during his address.
Butker took a swipe at President Biden for supporting abortion rights which he labelled as the "murder of innocent babies".
"Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder," he continued.
"Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally."
Butker went on to call Pride month a "deadly sin," and suggested it promoted "dangerous gender ideologies."
He also singled out female graduates in the audience and told them they had been told "diabolical lies."
"For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment," he began.
"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.
"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."
The NFL has since responded, saying: "[Butker's] views are not those of the NFL as an organization."
He also has partnered with Catholic prayer and meditation app Hallow to give fans an insight into his daily prayers.
And the married father-of-two has consistently used his platform as an NFL star to speak about his values.
"[God has] given me a voice for a lot of people that aren't able to voice their opinions," he told the Catholic News Agency.
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"I put so much into being the best kicker I can possibly be and for whatever reason, God has allowed me to continue to be successful as a kicker. I'm so thankful for that. …
"My success in football has given me a pedestal and I feel a responsibility to raise awareness to different issues that I think God wants me to bring to the forefront."
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