The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes addressed Harrison Butker‘s viral commencement speech on Wednesday, May 22.
Speaking to reporters during organized team activities, Mahomes offered both support and criticism for Butker’s divisive comments.
“I judge him by the character that he shows every single day, and that’s a good person as someone who cares about the people around him, cares about his family, wants to make a good impact in society,” Mahomes said, per Fox 4 KC’s P.J. Green.
“When you’re in the locker, 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 going to agree. He said certain things I don’t agree with.”
Mahomes speaks on teammate Harrison Butker’s widely criticized comments on women, masculinity and diversity at a commencement speech at Benedictine College on May 11
The three-time Super Bowl MVP declined to share what specific comments he disagreed with most, The Athletic’s Nate Taylor posted.
“That’s his views… it’s about us, taking the man and his values and everything that he does every single day and then judging him by that and not by one moment or one speech.”
Mahomes and Butker have been teammates since the Chiefs first since they both joined the Chiefs in 2017. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shared his view of Butker’s speech earlier in the day.
Harrison Butker Urged Women to ‘Embrace’ Being a ‘Homemaker,’ Denounced Pride Month, IVF & More
GettyChiefs kicker Harrison Butker at Arrowhead Stadium on October 16, 2022.
Butker told the graduating class at the small Catholic school on May 11, “I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you. Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,” he said. “It cannot be overstated that all my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”
The 28-year-old kicker also denounced abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, Jews, Pride Month, President Joe Biden, and pro-choice Catholics.
The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica denounced Butker’s speech in a statement, particularly the “homemaker” claim. While Butker’s speech received full support from the Chiefs co-owner Clark Hunt’s wife and daughter, Tavia and Gracie Hunt, the CEO has not shared a statement.
While there is strong conservative support for Butker’s message, numerous celebrities have publicly denounced Butker’s comments.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Celebrates His Wife, Brittany Mahomes, For Being a ‘Businesswoman’
Mahomes regularly hypes up his wife, Brittany Mahomes. While appearing on Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast earlier this month, he gushed over her latest accomplishments.
“It was awesome,” Mahomes said of her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut. “I was happy for her.” The quarterback revealed that Brittany, with whom he shares two children, asked his opinion before agreeing to do the photoshoot.
“I was like, ‘Go do it, man,'” he recalled. “Go show what a mother of two can look and be — not only how she looks, but the way she co-owns the Kansas City Current and has done these ventures by herself now, become this businesswoman herself.”
Mahomes also credited much of his success to having Brittany by his side. “I think people don’t even realize how much she does,” he said. “Taking care of the day-to-day stuff and making it so where I can focus on football, focus on my craft and everything like that. Just being a hall-of-fame mom and a hall-of-fame wife.
“It makes things a lot easier when you get to come home and your best friend is there. You just hang out. It makes you want to be there all the time and she pushes me to be great.”
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Patrick Mahomes Disagrees on ‘Certain Things’ Chiefs Kicker Said