Fact Check: Harrison Butker Said, 'We Should Go Back To a Better Time, Like the '50s and '60s'?

Claim:

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker said in a statement that his speech at a 2024 commencement at Benedictine College was taken "out of context," adding in part, "All I said is that we should go back to a better time, like the 50s and 60s."

Rating:

Originated as Satire ( About this rating? )

In May 2024, numerous users on Facebook , TikTok and X reposted a quote meme showing a supposed statement from Kansas City Chiefs kicker and three-time Super Bowl champion Harrison Butker. Users claimed the words in the quote meme were Butker's official response to backlash that followed his May 11 commencement speech at Kansas' Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school.

In one post on X displayed to over 1 million users, the meme showing a photo of Butker read, "Everyone is taking what I said out of context. All I said is that we should go back to a better time, like the 50s and 60s. When men were men, and women had more babies than thoughts. When the only 'Me too' movement was one woman saying she was ready for her 4th child, and another woman agreeing." The end of the meme added Butker's name with the words "on setting the record straight."

A seemingly countless number of users virally shared the quote meme.

A TikTok video promoting the quote meme as genuine also received more than 1.4 million views within one day of being uploaded, making it another one of the more prominent reposts.

However, Butker did not release a statement with these words, nor did he appear to publicly release any statements following his speech. A closer look at the quote meme reveals a watermark for "@TheSportsMemery" — a reference to the Facebook page named The Sports Memery. The Facebook page's description describes its output as containing satire and parody.

https://www.facebook.com/thesportsmemery/posts/pfbid02zzovtYR6puxfU3NR4kcmgmfWZP11trXS3P3zNDYgRp2EEKV2GoaHkrDK1RYYDvdol

The Associated Press reported Butker's speech featured some remarks on the subjects of women and motherhood, Pride month, in vitro fertilization and U.S. President Joe Biden's policies regarding abortion and the COVID-19 pandemic, among others.

Readers looking to watch Butker's address in its original form can find the full, unedited speech in a video posted on the Benedictine College YouTube channel. The video ends with many of the people in attendance giving Butker a standing ovation.

The National Catholic Register also published a complete transcript of the address.

Sources:

"Chiefs Kicker Butker Congratulates Women Graduates and Says Most Are More Excited about Motherhood." The Associated Press , 16 May 2024, https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-harrison-butker-e00f6ee45955c99ef1e809ec447239e0 .

"Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech." NCR , 16 May 2024, https://www.ncregister.com/news/harrison-butker-speech-at-benedictine .

"Harrison Butker | Commencement Address 2024 | Benedictine College." YouTube , Benedictine College, 11 May 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JS7RIKSaCc .