Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes defended embattled teammate Harrison Butker on Wednesday, calling him a “great person” following divisive comments the kicker made during a graduation speech.
Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl winner, walked a nice line by standing up for Butker, while also saying he disagreed with the kicker’s comments.
“I know Harrison. “I’ve known Harrison for seven years and I judge him based on the character he shows every day, which is a good person,” Mahomes told reporters at the Chiefs training complex in Kansas City. ‘That’s someone who cares about the people around him. , cares about his family and wants to make a good impact on society.”
The star QB said an NFL team is filled with people with radically different views and he has an obligation to respect those differences.
“When you’re in the locker room, there’s a lot of people from a lot of different areas of life,” Mahomes said. “There are certain things he said that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I understand the person he is and he’s trying to do what he can to guide people in the right direction.”
“And those may not be the same values that I have,” he added. “But at the same time, I’m going to judge him on the character he shows every day and that’s a great person.”
Butker has been roundly criticized for his speech earlier this month to graduates of Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas.
The kicker told female graduates that they had been told “diabolical lies” about the need to advance in their careers, when their real value lies in staying home to serve spouses and their children.
“How many of you are sitting here right now about to cross this stage and thinking about all the promotions and titles you’re going to get in your career?” he said. “Some of you may have successful careers in the world, but I would hazard a guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”
Butker also used his platform to mock gay pride celebrations, calling abortion and IVF treatments forms of societal “disorder” and lashing out at the “tyranny of diversity, equality and inclusion.”
Days after Butker’s speech, Mahomes spoke at a Time Magazine event and praised the growth of women’s sports.
“I’d like to raise a glass to a new era in sports, an era where women’s soccer finally gets the attention it deserves,” Mahomes said. said to applause in the room. “The real reason you should care about women’s sports is because they are incredible.”
Coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that he didn’t talk to Butker about the speech but still went to bat for his kicker.
“We all get along, we all respect each other’s opinions,” Reid said. “I don’t think he spoke ill of women, but he has his opinion and we respect that.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
