Harrison Butker Stands Firm Amid Criticism: 'Nothing Shameful’ About Parenting

NFL player Harrison Butker is standing firm in the face of ongoing backlash regarding his controversial commencement speech where he spoke on parenting choices and gender roles, asserting that there is “nothing shameful” about raising children.

The Kansas City Chiefs kicker has faced criticism for his beliefs on family life, the LGBTQ community, and politics, but he remains unapologetic.

Months later, Harrison Butker once again addressed the backlash surrounding his controversial commencement speech, expressing that he is “saddened” by the reactions to his comments made in May 2024 regarding women as stay-at-home moms.

Earlier this year, Butker's commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas ignited a nationwide discussion, sparking a ton of backlash as people called him misogynistic.

"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 said in his speech on May 11. "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 later 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."

As the backlash persists, Butker once again clarified the comments he made, stating that he is "saddened" by the way they have been perceived.

“I’m definitely saddened [some people] took it in a poor manner,” the Kansas City Chiefs kicker said on Fox News’ "The Ingraham Angle." “I was talking to a specific crowd that I think was able to understand what I was trying to say.”

“But I was trying to speak life for so many women that have dedicated their life to being the homemaker, being the one that raises the children," he continued. "And it’s a beautiful role, but it’s not a role that should be diminished.”

Butker and his wife, Isabelle, are parents to three children, including their 5-year-old son James, while the names and ages of their other two kids remain undisclosed.

“It cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the [Catholic] faith and become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all — homemaker," he said during his May commencement speech, which was one of the most talked about comments he made.

“There’s nothing shameful if you are a woman and you want to spend time with your family and raise your children, so it’s not putting down anyone who maybe wants to go get a great education and have a career,” he told host Laura Ingraham last week. “But it’s more talking about how beautiful it is for women to maybe just step aside and prioritize their family and spend time with their children and raise their family. And that’s what I was just trying to speak love about.”

As The Blast reported in August, Harrison Butker revisited his viral graduation speech and reaffirmed his position.

"I prayed about it, and I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said. And I stand behind what I said," he stated. "I feel like, seven years in the league, having this platform, I've just decided, 'You know what, there's things that I believe wholeheartedly that I think will make this world a better place, and I'm going to preach that."

"And if people don't agree, they don't agree, but I'm going to continue to say what I believe to be true and love everyone along the way," he added.

Harrison Butker's latest comments come as he threw his support behind the Republican presidential candidate, citing his alignment with the Pro-life movement as a key reason.

According to Butker, Americans should back the "most Pro-life" leader, and in his view, Donald Trump fits that description. "I'm supporting the president that's going to be the most pro-life president," he said. "The [Pro-life] topic is the most crucial topic for me. I want us to be fighting for the most vulnerable."

"I think you have to vote for whoever is gonna be the most pro-life, and we have to be prayerful men that put God first. I think that's what's going to be best for our country," he added.