Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid break their silence on teammate Harrison Butker’s controversial speech
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid have broken their silence over teammate Harrison Butker’s controversial commencement speech earlier this month.
Both Reid and Mahomes supported Butker and said he was a good person and insisted that just because someone has different values than you, it doesn’t mean you can’t get along.
Butker’s speech at Benedictine College’s graduation urged men to “fight cultural emasculation” and asserted that women are meant to be “housewives.”
Butker’s speech was full of his conservative views, not only on gender roles, but also on abortion and vaccines.
Some called the speech extremely sexist and called for Butker to be punished by the NFL for saying negative things about women.
Reid has been the head coach of the Chiefs since 2013, winning three Super Bowls with the team
Mahomes has been teammates with Butker since 2018 and defended him on Wednesday
“I’ve known (Harrison) for seven years and I judge him by the character he shows every day. And he’s a good person,” Mahomes said.
“He’s someone who cares about the people around him, his family and wants to make a positive impact on society,” Mahomes continued.
Reid’s job is that a head coach must be diplomatic and keep the locker room as united as possible. Butker’s speech probably isn’t the first time he’s heard divergent viewpoints in a team atmosphere.
“Everyone comes from different areas, different religions, different races, and so we all get along, we all respect each other’s opinions,” Reid said.
“That’s a good thing about America, man,” Reid continued. “And we’re just, like I said, a microcosm of that and my wish is that everyone can kind of follow that.”
“I don’t think he was talking down to women, but he has his opinions and we all respect that. I let (the media) into this room and you have a lot of opinions that I don’t like.
Butker has been under fire for more than a week after some called his keynote speech sexist
During the Chiefs’ 2023 Super Bowl celebration at the White House, Butker tore a tie with a pro-life Latin phrase written on it in close proximity to President Joe Biden.
The topic of a nationwide ban on abortion in the United States has intensified over the past two years, since a heavily Republican Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, which legalized abortion in the United States. United.
Butker’s protest took place last June, as the Chiefs were celebrating their Super Bowl victory last year.
The date for another Kansas City championship celebration at the White House in honor of its victory over the San Francisco 49ers is expected in the coming months, but has not been announced.
Butker said he did not intend to carry out another silent protest against the Biden administration’s pro-choice stance, but “a lot of thought” went into last year’s message.
Butker is a three-time Super Bowl champion and one of the most vocal voices among current NFL players in opposition to President Biden’s policies.
