Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker said he stands by remarks he made during a commencement address that sparked backlash.
At a ceremony earlier this month, Butker criticized the Biden administration’s policies, suggested many women were more excited about getting married and having children than receiving their degrees and suggested Pride Month was one of the seven deadly sins.
Buker doubled down on the comments while speaking at the Regina Caeli Academy Courage Under Fire Gala in Nashville, Tennessee. In his first public comments since the commencement speech, Butker said he does not regret them at all.
“Over the past few days, my beliefs or what people think I believe have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe,” Butker said Friday. “At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate. But as the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion.”
He also said most comments made about him in the past were about his performance on the field, not his remarks off the field.
“It’s a decision I’ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all,” he later added.
In the days following the commencement speech, the NFL attempted to distance itself from Butker’s comments, saying “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”
Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes also weighed in on the comments, saying Butker is a “good person” who has a right to talk about his beliefs.
The criticism of Butker came just before the Kansas City Chiefs were invited to the White House to celebrate their Super Bowl win.
