Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker says he stands behind comments he made during polarizing speech
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker said Wednesday he was “very intentional” in the comments he made during a polarizing college commencement speech in May and that he stands behind what he said then
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker said Wednesday he was “very intentional” in the comments he made during a polarizing college commencement speech in May and that he stands behind what he said then.
Butker said he didn’t initially plan to deliver the May 11 speech at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas. He delivered a commencement speech at his alma mater Georgia Tech in May 2023, and didn’t “want to be known as a commencement speaker,” he said. Butker reversed course after reflecting upon his relationship with the college.
“I feel like, seven years in the league, having this platform, I’ve just decided, You know what, there’s things that I believe wholeheartedly that I think will make this world a better place, and I’m going to preach that. And if people don’t agree, they don’t agree, but I’m going to continue to say what I believe to be true and love everyone along the way,” Butker said.
Addressing the speech, Butker said, "I prayed about it, and I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said, and I stand behind what I said.”
