A controversial commencement speech by Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker drew widespread outrage from NFL fans as clips of his comments circulated the internet. Now, fans are finally hearing from teammate Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid regarding the address.
Mahomes and Reid both supported Butker's right to voice his opinion but took somewhat different approaches to the comments, which took a bold stance on the role of women in society and also targeted the LGBTQ+ community.
Butker encouraged female graduates at Benedictine College to consider taking on a role as a homemaker and argued that motherhood is more important than any professional career. He also referred to LGBTQ+ pride month as a "deadly sins type of pride," which drew sharp criticism as well.
One reason Butker's comments gained so much attention was his reference to Taylor Swift as "my teammate's girlfriend," which led fans of the pop star to start a petition for the Chiefs to release their Super Bowl-winning kicker.
Here's what Mahomes and Reid had to say about Butker's comments Wednesday.
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Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid on Harrison Butker's speech
Reid voiced his support for Butker's right to speak his mind, telling reporters that Reid didn't feel he needed to address the comments with the team during OTAs.
"I didn't think I need to. We're a microcosm of our society. ... We all respect each other's opinions. We all have a voice," Reid said.
Andy Reid regarding Butker’s comments: “We’re (the team) a microcosm of our society.” — “Everybody’s got their own opinion, and that’s what’s great about this country.” #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/AMTeJ2pDET
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) May 22, 2024
The 12th-year Chiefs coach hadn't spoken about Butker's comments until Wednesday, after Kansas City's offseason activities got underway earlier in the week.
"Everybody’s got their own opinion, and that’s what’s great about this country," Reid continued.
Asked what he would say if a woman working in the Chiefs facility approached him with concerns about Butker's comments, Reid reiterated that he strongly supports every member of the team's right to speak their mind. He also said he didn't believe Butker was "speaking ill" of women.
"Yeah, that hasn't happened." Reid said of women in the Chiefs facility approaching voicing concerns. "I don't think he was speaking ill to women. He has his opinions, and we all respect that."
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Mahomes also supported Butker's right to share his opinions but made it clear that he disagreed with some of what his teammate said.
"I've known him for seven years. I judge him by the character he shows every day and that's a good person," Mahomes said. "We're not always going to agree. He said certain things I don't agree with."
Butker is one of Mahomes' longest-tenured teammates. The Chiefs signed him just a handful of weeks into Mahomes' NFL career, a year before the two-time MVP took over as Kansas City's starter. Butker has been a key cog in all three of the Chiefs' championship runs with Mahomes under center.
"I've seen the clips ... that's his views," Mahomes added, though he declined to go into detail about which parts he disagreed with.
Patrick Mahomes has made it pretty clear during this news conference that he considers Harrison Butker a close friend. He declined to share exactly what he disagreed most with Butker's comments from his speech.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) May 22, 2024
"I've seen the clips. ... That's his views," Mahomes said.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell echoed Reid's sentiments in his first public comments on the matter, arguing that diversity of opinion is "something we treasure."
"That's part of ultimately what makes us as a society better," Goodell said, explaining that with 3,000 players in the NFL there will naturally be varying opinions.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Harrison Butker's commencement speech: "We have over 3,000 players. ... They have a diversity of opinions & thoughts just like America does. I think that's something that we treasure & that's part of ultimately what makes us as a society better."
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) May 22, 2024
The second-most accurate kicker in NFL history in terms of field goal percentage, Butker's job was never believed to be at serious risk despite the controversy his comments caused.
Given the influence of Reid and Mahomes with the Chiefs, Wednesday appeared to end any thought that a kicking change might be on the table for the defending Super Bowl champions.
