Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker delivered a powerful address espousing Christian values to a group of graduates at Benedictine College on Saturday.
Now, the NFL is saying they disagree with Butker.
In his commencement speech, the Butker blasted President Joe Biden for his pro-abortion stances, urged male grads to embrace masculinity, and championed the virtues of motherhood by telling female graduates there is no higher calling than being a homemaker.
On Wednesday, in a statement to People, NFL Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Jonathan Beane clarified that Butker’s values are not the NFL’s.
Harrison Butker #7 of the Kansas City Chiefs kicks a field goal during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Beane wrote. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
In addition to speaking to graduates about the anti-Christian values the current administration holds regarding abortion and motherhood, as well as the “cultural emasculation of men,” Butker also said that Pride Month represented “deadly sins.”
WOW: #Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker RIPS President Joe Biden & says he’s delusional.
“He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears you can be both Catholic and pro-choice”
(@dannydeurbina)
pic.twitter.com/UK2tcnV3gi— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 13, 2024
The NFL’s assertive stance that the league does not share Butker’s traditional Christian values stands in stark contrast to how the NFL handed the situation of infamous national anthem protester Colin Kaepernick. The league never disagreed with his flagrantly anti-American and anti-police statements.
However, when Butker speaks on Christian values to a Christian audience at a Christian university, the league apparently feels the need to distance themselves from the comments.
In fact, not only did the NFL not correct Kaepernick’s extreme views, but they also adopted key points of his cause and created Inspire Change, a social justice initiative. Which liberally donates tens of millions annually to groups, some of whom advocate for defunding or abolishing the police.
Colin Kaepernick, #7 of the San Francisco 49ers, kneels during the anthem before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on September 18, 2016, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
And, of course, the NFL had far more cause to voice their dissent from Kaepernick’s views, not just because they were repulsive but also because the former 49er was making their customers a captive audience (who disagreed with him, overwhelmingly) by holding his protest before a live game as well as using NFL facilities to give interviews about his warped worldview.
Harrison Butker expressed his views on his own time and at the invitation of a group of people who agreed with him. Technically, the NFL shouldn’t have said anything unless they wanted to, which they did, and that is the problem.
So, in other words, if the NFL is seeking to communicate that their values are more in line with Colin Kaepernick and Black Lives Matter instead of Christian family men like Harrison Butker, they’re doing an excellent job of it.
