Patrick Mahomes made his thoughts clear on kicker Harrison Butker and his controversial speech during Chiefs OTAs on Wednesday.
The star quarterback told reporters that while he doesn't agree with what Butker said at the college commencement speech earlier this month, he won't judge his teammate by his comments.
"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, per The Athletic's Nate Taylor. "We're not always going to agree. He said certain things I don't agree with."
Mahomes added that Butker is "a great person and we'll continue to move along and try to help build each other up to make ourselves better every single day," per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "But at the end of the day we're going to come together as a team and I think that'll help out as eliminating those distractions outside of the building as well."
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid also refused to speak on the content of the speech but told reporters that "We all respect each other's opinions. We all have a voice."
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Butker's speech has been in the news a lot lately after he made several fiery comments at Benedictine College in Kansas City on May 11. Butker spoke out against United States President Joe Biden, LGBTQ+ Pride month and a woman's roles in the household.
"I think it is you, the women, who have has the most diabolic lies told to you," Butker said during his speech. "Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world."
This brought the ire of several people, including the Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder, the nuns of the college Butker spoke at and journalist Maria Shriver.
"The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butker's comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested," the nuns wrote in a statement posted on Facebook.
Others took a more centrist approach. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league has a "diversity of opinions and thoughts just like America does. That’s something we treasure.” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said "You just try to educate people to understand the consequences of whatever they do. They have the freedom of choice, and if they want to go that direction, go right ahead."
Tavia Hunt, the wife of Chiefs co-owner Clark Hunt, wrote in an Instagram post, "Affirming motherhood and praising your wife, as well as highlighting the sacrifice and dedication it takes to be a mother, is not bigoted."
While Mahomes refused to say which part of the speech he disagreed with, the quarterback told reporters, "I've seen the clips. ... That's his views."
Mahomes is the first Chiefs player to really speak on the matter. However, the only Chiefs player to publicly support Butker was defensive tackle Chris Jones.
