NFL Star Harrison Butker Breaks Silence On His Controversial Commencement Speech

For the first time since his controversial speech went viral, Harrison Butker is speaking out, defending his beliefs and the comments he made earlier this month.

As The Blast reported, the NFL kicker has been under fire for his comments during his commencement speech at Benedictine College, a private Catholic institution in Kansas.

He spoke out about gender roles, seemingly telling women to become "homemakers," the LGBTQ community, calling their pride a "deadly sin," and about COVID-19 and President Joe Biden.

While the NFL, Patrick Mahomes, Roger Goodell, Travis Kelce, and other sports stars spoke out about the controversy, Butker had remained silent -- until now.

In part of his speech, Butker addressed the ladies in the graduating class, telling them they "have had the most diabolical lies told to you."

"How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world," he continued. "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."

He then spoke about his wife, who "would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother."

Now, for the first time since his speech went viral, Butker is speaking out.

On Friday, May 24, Butker returned to the stage for the "Courage Under Fire" gala at Regina Caeli Academy, a traditional Catholic institution in Nashville, Tennessee, where he once again delivered a speech.

"Thank you, thank you," he began as the crowd cheered for several seconds. "It means a lot, thank you."

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for being here in support of Regina Charlie Academy," he continued. It's been great to see a lot of friends here tonight and to meet so many of the families that attend our centers across the country."

Butker then addressed the "fraternity and the Institute," claiming they have "both been instrumental in [his] formation as a husband and as a father."

He later addressed the controversy surrounding his commencement speech earlier this month, standing by his beliefs and values, pointing out that "timeless Catholic values are hated by many."

"The theme for tonight's gala, 'Courage Under Fire,' was decided many months ago, but it now feels providential that this would be the theme after what we have all witnessed these past two weeks," he said. "If it wasn't clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now."

"Over the past few days, my beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe. At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate, but as the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion," he said, seemingly addressing the comments made by his teammates, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

"In my seven years in the NFL, I've become familiar with the positive and negative comments, but the majority of them revolve around my performance on the field," the kicker continued. "But as to be expected, the more I've talked about what I value most, which is my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I have become."

"It's a decision I've consciously made and none I do not regret at all," he added.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes addressed his teammate's controversial speech, calling him "a good person" and "someone who cares about the people around him, cares about his family, and wants to make a good impact in society."

Mahomes added, "We're not always going to agree, and there's certain things that he said that I don't necessarily agree with, but I understand the person that he is, and he is trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction."

Travis Kelce also called Butker a "great person" who is entitled to his own views. However, he doubled down and clarified that he didn't agree with most of Butker's speech.