Notable members of the Kansas City Chiefs are playing defense for Harrison Butker, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid speaking out for their kicker.
Butker’s commencement speech at Benedictine College earlier this month went viral, though some have criticized comments he made during the speech in front of a primarily Catholic audience, including criticizing President Joe Biden and discussing the role a woman can play in a family’s home. In addressing Butker’s comments, Mahomes said he has known him for seven years, and judges his teammate “by the character that he shows every single day,” calling Butker “a good person.”
“There’s certain things that he said that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I understand the person that he is, and he’s trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction,” Mahomes said at a news conference Wednesday. “And that might not be the same values I have, but at the same time, I’m going to judge him by the character that he shows every single day, and that’s 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.”
Reid has also provided his take on the situation, stating that everyone has their own opinion and that is “what’s so great about this country.” He did not talk to Butker about his speech, saying it was unnecessary because the team and the country as a whole are made up of different people of varying beliefs, religions, and races.
“And so we all get along, we all respect each other’s opinions, and not necessarily do we go by those, but we respect everybody to have a voice,” Reid said. “It’s a great thing about America, and we’re just, like I said, a microcosm of that, and my wish is that everybody could kind of follow that.”
The National Football League has distanced itself from Butker’s comments, arguing that he made his speech “in his personal capacity” and that his views “are not those of the NFL as an organization.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Outside of Butker’s team, a number of celebrities have also defended the Chiefs kicker, including actress Patricia Heaton and comedian Bill Maher.
In the wake of Butker’s viral speech, his team jersey has skyrocketed in sales, with NFL.com marking Butker’s jersey as “most popular in Kansas City Chiefs” merchandise.