The reigning Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, find themselves embroiled in controversy. The team’s kicker, Harrison Butker, has come under fire for making discriminatory remarks during a speech at Benedictine College, quickly becoming the NFL’s persona non grata.
Amidst the uproar, all eyes turned to Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes for his reaction. However, Mahomes had already distanced himself from Butker in a previous interview that gained significant traction.
In a candid conversation on the “Pat McAfee Show” after clinching his third Super Bowl title in February, Mahomes admitted to not having a close relationship with his teammate Butker. “I don’t talk to Harrison Butker all year,” he disclosed.
“I just let him do his thing.”
“I don’t talk to Harrison Butker all year and I just let him do his thing” ~ @PatrickMahomes
Don’t talk to em 😂😂 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/HlfhcgMspB
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 13, 2024
During Patrick Mahomes’ conversation with Pat McAfee, Mahomes held firm on not engaging with the team’s kicker, even to the point of not greeting him. Mahomes shared that despite sitting next to each other during team meetings, he avoids communication, except at the start and end of the season.
The NFL has publicly criticized the kicker, Harrison Butker, for his anti-LGBTQ and sexist remarks made in a graduation speech. Although Mahomes has not publicly condemned Butker, his previous interview responses suggest he has distanced himself, potentially reflecting his private stance on the matter to teammates.
Butker, during his speech at Benedictine College on May 11, condemned Pride Month as a “deadly sin” and implied that most female graduates were primarily focused on marriage and motherhood. He praised the women’s achievements but suggested they were likely more excited about future familial roles than professional success.
Butker also criticized President Joe Biden for his response to the pandemic and his stance on abortion, questioning the sincerity of Biden’s Catholic faith in light of pro-choice advocacy.
Butker, who joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017, achieved a personal best in 2023 by successfully completing 94.3% of his field goal attempts and maintained a perfect playoff record, contributing significantly to the Chiefs’ championship win, as reported by ESPN.com. Following his controversial comments, there has been a call among Taylor Swift fans for Butker to be banned from the NFL.
Additionally, the City of Kansas City issued an apology for an “inappropriate” tweet about Butker after his contentious graduation speech.
The Kansas City Chiefs have yet to officially address the uproar surrounding Butker’s polarizing keynote speech, during which Taylor Swift enthusiasts have taken to social media demanding his expulsion from the NFL. Their outrage stems not just from the content of his remarks but also his reference to the pop star amid his discourse.
Butker stirred controversy following his commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where he voiced contentious opinions on President Biden, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and the role of women in society. Additionally, he invoked Taylor Swift multiple times during his speech, specifically quoting from her 2022 hit song “Bejeweled.”
Butker also made a statement about overfamiliarity leading to contempt, citing it as advice from a teammate’s partner. Swift’s fans, widely known as Swifties, expressed their strong displeasure over Butker’s actions, with one particularly aggrieved fan expressing a wish for Butker to endure the minor, yet frustrating, pain of stepping on a Lego daily for life.
Do you think Harrison Butker knows his Taylor Swift days are over? Maybe he’s so stupid that he doesn’t. I mean, he called himself a Swiftie & quoted her music then immediately gave a message she’d abhor. Talk about not getting it. So perhaps self awareness isn’t his thing.
— May Kergen (@may_kergen) May 14, 2024
Title: Harrison Butker’s Mom’s Profession Draws Interest After His Polarizing Remarks
Patrick Mahomes once said he didn’t talk to controversial Chiefs teammate Harrison Butker
Patrick Mahomes once revealed he wasn’t friends with his controversial Kansas City Chiefs teammate Harrison Butker.
“I don’t talk to Harrison Butker all year,” the quarterback said on the “Pat McAfee Show” following his third Super Bowl win in February. “I just let him do his thing.”
When asked if Mahomes says “hi” to the kicker in passing, he responded, “We sit right beside each other in team meetings and I don’t say one word to him, only before the season and after the season, that’s the only time I talk to him.”
Despite not having a bond with Butker, the father of two admitted he could count on his teammate on the field.“I know if I can just cross that 40 [yard line] … he’s going to put it through [the upright],” Mahomes, 28, said.
Reflecting on a mishap at the Super Bowl, he added, “If you saw in the game I got a little pressure, threw it short and knew Harrison was going to knock it through.”
Reps for Mahomes weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.
Mahomes’ interview recently resurfaced following Butker’s controversial anti-LGBTQ and sexist graduation speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., May 11.
During his speech, the NFL star candidly admitted he’s “gained quite the reputation for speaking [his] mind” before going on to attack “dangerous gender ideologies.”
“Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder,” he said.
Butker, 28, also had a message for the female graduates, explaining their “most important title” should be “homemaker.”
“Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, 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,” the football pro continued.
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
Butker also referenced Taylor Swift toward the end of his speech, reciting lyrics from her 2022 song “Bejeweled.”“As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘Familiarity breeds contempt,’” he said.
While Swift and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, have yet to speak out about Butker’s controversial remarks, he previously discussed meeting the “humble” popstar at a New Year’s Eve party.
“I was nervous to meet Taylor Swift,” he told EWTN’s “News in Depth” in March. “But it was a great experience and I can’t say enough great things about her.”
Butker furthered he hopes the “Lover” songstress and the tight end, both 34, “get married and start a family.”
Meanwhile, the NFL condemned Butker’s speech, insisting his beliefs don’t reflect the organization.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, told People Wednesday.
“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.”
