Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who has made headlines recently for a college commencement speech at a Catholic university encouraging female graduates to become homemakers, responded to ESPYs host Serena Williams for knocking him during the event.

Serena’s comment came right after her sister, fellow tennis legend Venus Williams, finished speaking.

“I thought Mrs. Williams was a great host and applaud her for using her platform to express her beliefs on a variety of topics,” Butker told NBC Sports.

“Sports are supposed to be the great unifier. And at an event dedicated to celebrating a diverse group of men and women who have accomplished great feats, she used it as an opportunity to disinvite those with whom she disagrees with from supporting fellow athletes,” he said.

Venus Williams, standing onstage with her sister and actress Quinta Brunson, had said, “You can enjoy women’s sports, just like any other sport, because they are sports.” Serena Williams quickly quipped, “Except for you, Harrison Butker. We don’t need you.”

Brunson said, for emphasis, “At all. Like, ever.”

The crowd laughed initially before unleashing cheers as the comments sank in.

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Butker received considerable backlash for his comments, including from the NFL, an organization that said, “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.”

Despite the backlash, Butker’s jersey ranked among the NFL’s bestsellers after his comments.