Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes defended teammate Harrison Butker after his controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College, a small Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas. The three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback said that Butker is a “good person” despite “not necessarily agreeing” with his comments. In the speech, Butker said that a woman’s accomplishments in the home are more valuable than any academic or professional goals and called Pride Month a “deadly sin,” among other things.
Mahomes said that in a locker room, he encounters people from different backgrounds, with different views. “We’re not always going to agree, there are 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 do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction,” he said.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he talks to Butker “all the time” but did not address the speech with him. “We’re a microcosm of life here,” Reid said. “Everybody is from different areas, different religions, different races and we all get along. We all respect each other’s opinions, and not necessarily do we go by those but we respect everybody to have a voice. He added that he didn’t think “he was speaking ill to women. He has his opinions, and we all respect that.”
After the conclusion of the National Football League’s (NFL) Spring League Meeting in Nashville, league commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about Butker’s comments at his usual post-meeting press conference Wednesday. “We have over 3,000 players. We have executives around the league. They have diversity of opinions and thoughts just like America does,” Goodell said “I think that’s something that we treasure and that’s part of, I think, ultimately what makes us as a society better.”
The NFL had previously distanced itself from the speech, saying Butker’s comments don’t reflect the views of the league. “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization,” said senior vice president Jonathan Beane, the league’s chief diversity and inclusion officer. “The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
