“I Stand Behind What I Said” – Harrison Butker Speaks To Media For First Time Since Controversial Commencement Speech

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker finally took some time to speak with the media today.

He hadn’t done so since before he made what some people viewed as controversial remarks at a commencement speech at Benedictine College back in May. But after he signed a four-year extension that made him the highest paid kicker of all time, I guess Butker felt as though a quick interview with the media was the least he could do.

And though some of the questions that were tossed Butker’s way were about his extension, a lot of the reporters were interested in finally hearing from the Chiefs kicker about his commencement speech views, which some labeled misogynistic.

Butker first addressed the backlash by saying that he had seen all of the things that were said about him and his views, and took the high road with this answer:

“I’ve appreciated all of the feedback. I know when it comes to football, I don’t really look at the comments – good or bad – towards me. But with it being the offseason and stating a lot of these things, I was really curious as to what people would be saying back to me. And I respected all the viewpoints.

In terms of what I said, I prayed about it and I thought about it and I was very intentional with what I said. I stand behind what I said. I really believe if people knew me as a person and understood that I was coming from a place of love and not a place of trying to attack or put people down, that I only want the best for people… that’s what I was trying to say there. I think the people that were in that gymnasium all understood what I was saying.”

Butker wasn’t backing down.

Though neither were the media members present at the press conference. One reporter followed up that answer with another question directly referencing his speech and asking for clarification on what he meant in his speech since many saw it as putting women’s value down.

Harrison Butker tried to make it very clear that he meant no harm by his words, and related it to how he views his own job as a (highly paid) NFL kicker:

“My whole career I’ve talked about how I’m a husband and a father before it comes to me as a kicker. It’s something I’ve always preached. But then when I use that to talk about women, I say that they should embrace and love being wives and being mothers over their career… I think then it gets construed that I’m trying to put women down.

I’m not at all. I love women. I love my wife, and it comes from a place of love. My wife had never heard me speak publicly and she was there for that moment. I was getting emotional looking at her crying and understanding that she had sacrificed so much for me. She has completely changed her life around. And she has focused on being the ultimate wife and ultimate mother and I love her so much for that.”

You can hear all of Harrison Butker’s thoughts on the backlash and feedback he’s gotten in the past couple of months in the video below: