The Kansas City Chiefs tight end has distanced himself from the conservative opinions shared by his teammate in a college commencement speech.
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Travis Kelce has commented on the controversial speech his Kansas City Chiefs teammate Harrison Butker delivered at a Catholic college. He stated that while he believes Butker is "a great person and a great teammate," he does not agree with "just about any" of his views.
Addressing graduates of Benedictine College, a small Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas, earlier this month, the Chiefs kicker railed against LGBTQ+ and abortion rights. Notably, he also preached to the female graduates in the audience that they should focus on being wives, mothers, and homemakers rather than academic or professional goals.
At one point, Butker also invoked a lyric from Taylor Swift, a noted career woman and self-made billionaire, which he prefaced by simply calling her his "teammate's girlfriend." The irony of the situation wasn't lost on anyone, and Butker's comments quickly sparked widespread backlash.
Speaking on the latest episode of his podcast, "New Heights," Kelce addressed the backlash to Butker's speech and spoke of his personal relationship with the kicker, whom he said he has known for "eight plus years."
"I cherish him as a teammate," Kelce said, adding that fellow Chiefs player Patrick Mahomes "said it best where he is every bit of a great person and a great teammate."
"He's treated friends and family that I've introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness, and that's how he treats everyone."
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However, Kelce distanced himself from the opinions that Butker shared in his commencement speech, stating that he disagreed with the bulk of what his teammate said.
"When it comes down to his views and what he said at Saint Benedict's commencement speech, those are his," he said.
"I can't say I agree with the majority of it — or just about any of it — outside of just him loving his family and his kids," he continued.
However, he added that he has no interest in judging anyone based on their beliefs.
"I don't think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life. That's just not who I am."
Speaking about his upbringing, Kelce said he was shown that "homemaker" was not a title just reserved for women, as Butker opined, as both his mother and father "provided for our family."
He said that his parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, "were homemakers, and they were providers, and they were unbelievable at being present every single day of my life," Kelce said.
Kelce's brother, Jason Kelce, a former football center, echoed his younger sibling's sentiments, stating that while he doesn't "align" himself with many things Butker said in his speech, he did identify with the NFL star's love for his family.
"I don't think we have enough people talking about the foundations of families and the importance of and the seriousness of parenthood," the former Philadelphia Eagles center said. "If you are going to embark on being a parent, I do think it needs to be the most important thing in your life."
After Butker's speech at Benedictine College's graduation ceremony on May 11 was met with backlash online, the NFL issued a statement in which the organization likewise distanced itself from his comments in a statement that said it was committed to inclusivity.
Nuns at the college also denounced his comments for not reflecting their values, stating that they disagreed with his suggestion that "being a homemaker is the highest calling" women should aspire for.
