A petition launched on Change.org demands that the Kansas City Chiefs fire kicker Harrison Butker for a commencement speech he gave Saturday at Benedictine College in which he praised traditional masculinity, touted motherhood, and criticized progressive trends.
The petition, which argues the Super Bowl winning kicker’s speech was “discriminatory” and “harmful,” has amassed nearly 35,000 signatures in two days.
“These comments reinforce harmful stereotypes that threaten social progress. They create a toxic environment that hinders our collective efforts towards equality, diversity and inclusion in society. It is unacceptable for such a public figure to use their platform to foster harm rather than unity,” the petition states.
As The College Fix previously reported, Butker ripped into COVID lockdowns and pro-abortion Catholics, like President Joe Biden, during his graduation speech. He also told male students to “be unapologetic in your masculinity.” He also took on Dr. Anthony Fauci and transgender trends.
A two-minute video clip of Butker’s speech posted on X by The College Fix two days ago that focused on his advice to female graduates to embrace motherhood has been viewed more than 6.1 million times thus far, prompting angry comments, such as: “Telling women that just dedicated years of their lives to the pursuit of an education that would empower them to reach for their dreams that they should abandon the path they’ve put themselves on at the moment of their biggest triumph thus far is pretty gross.”
A parade of recent headlines from left-leaning media outlets have also decried the commencement speech “fringe” and a “conservative religious tirade.”
Harrison Butker chokes up while discussing his wife, encouraging Benedictine College female grads to embrace motherhood. pic.twitter.com/qm73MBl0Hl
— The College Fix (@CollegeFix) May 13, 2024
The controversy forced the NFL to weigh in.
“After Harrison Butker took to the podium … to deliver a bizarre speech that touched on, among other things, COVID vaccines (bad), President Joe Biden (worse), and Taylor Swift (OK, actually), the league that gives him $4 million a year to mostly stay off the field is taking steps to distance itself,” The Daily Beast reported, adding:
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, told The Daily Beast in a written statement. “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.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Butker for further comment or in case he wants to pontificate further on his ideas on “dangerous gender ideologies,” “the cultural emasculation of men,” or “the diabolical lies” that tempt wayward women out of the kitchen and into the classroom.
The outrage has also prompted criticism as well.
“You think of all the horrible things current NFL players have done — Tyreek Hill beating his kids, DeShaun Watson, the various deadbeat Dads. But it’s the Catholic guy telling women that families are more important than careers where people draw the line,” conservative pundit Greg Price posted on X.
Originally published by The College Fix. Republished with permission.
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