Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes is weighing in on the recent controversial remarks his teammate, kicker Harrison Butker, made during a commencement speech, calling him a “good person” who has the right to express himself.
Mahomes stated that although he does not agree with everything Butker said, he judges people based on their “character,” arguing that the kicker cares deeply about people around him and that he is a “great” person.
“When you’re in the locker room, there’s a lot of people from a lot of different areas of life, and they have a lot of different views on everything, and we’re not always gonna agree,” Mahomes said Wednesday, following the team’s practice, according to The Associated Press.
“There are certain things that he said that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I understand the person that he is, and he’s trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction,” he continued. “It might not be the same values as I have, but at the same time, I’m gonna judge him by the character that he shows every single day, and that’s a great person.”
Butker delivered a commencement address earlier this month at Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts school in Kansas. He told female graduates that most of them might find greater satisfaction from being wives and mothers than they would from their careers.
He also said that some Catholic leaders are “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America” and went after “Pride Month,” abortion and in vitro fertilization.
His speech drew controversy in a variety of circles. The NFL distanced itself from the kicker, while others, including the wife and daughter of the team’s owner, backed him up.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said he supports Butker’s right to express himself and that his 20-minute speech has not drawn complaints within the organization.
“Everybody’s got their own opinion,” Reid said Wednesday. “That’s what’s so great about this country. … I don’t think he was speaking ill of women. He has his opinions, and we all respect that. I let you guys [the assembled media members] in this room, and you have a lot of opinions that I don’t like.”