Getty Tavia Hunt (L), with her husband, Chiefs part owner, chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, and daughter Gracie Hunt (R), on February 08, 2024.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker‘s message during a commencement speech at Benedictine College left fans divided.
While the Chiefs organization hasn’t commented on Butker’s May 11 graduation address, co-owner and CEO Clark Hunt’s wife, Tavia Hunt, and daughter, Gracie, spoke out.
The devout Christian family backed Butker urging women to embrace their “most important titles of all: homemaker,” as he suggested. The speech also took aim the the LGBTQ community, IVF, and abortion rights.
Tavia broke her silence with a lengthy Instagram message on May 16, tagging Butker. “I’ve always encouraged my daughters to be highly educated and chase their dreams,” she began. “I want them to know that they can do whatever they want (that honors God).
“But I also want them to know that I believe finding a spouse who loves and honors you as or before himself and raising a family together is one of the greatest blessings this world has to offer.”
Tavia married into the Hunt family, worth an estimated $24.8 billion, per Forbes. She cautioned “against taking things out of context” and called for “less hate.”
“Affirming motherhood and praising your wife, as well as highlighting the sacrifice and dedication it takes to be a mother, is not bigoted… Countless highly educated women devote their lives to nurturing and guiding their children. Someone disagreeing with you doesn’t make them hateful; it simply means they have a different opinion.”
Before disabling the comments, users voiced a strongly mixed reaction to Tavia’s message. One woman wrote, “I think you’re missing the point.” Another person wrote, “What I saw and heard wasn’t out of context but out of his mouth and it was disgusting. Women belong wherever they want to be and don’t need anyone telling them otherwise.”
One man commented, “Thank you for standing for Biblical truth, traditional values and Harrison Butker. God bless you and the entire Hunt family.”
Chiefs Owner’s Eldest Daughter Gracie Hunt Said, ‘I Really Respect Harrison’ During an Appearance on Fox & Friends
Gracie, who shared her mother’s post on her Instagram Stories, backed Butker while appearing on “Fox & Friends” on Friday, May 17.
“Well, I can only speak from my own experience, which is I’ve had the most incredible mom who had the ability to stay home and be with us as kids growing up. And I understand that there are many women out there who can’t make that decision. But for me and my life, I know it was really formative and in shaping me and my siblings into who we are,” she said.
“And I really respect Harrison and his Christian faith and what he’s accomplished on and off the field.”
The former pageant queen, who’s heavily involved in the family business, has bigger ambitions. The 25-year-old told Maxim in 2023, “There’s got to be a first female NFL commissioner at some point.”
The NFL, Benedictine Sisters, & More Didn’t Approve of Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker’s Comments
WATCH: Three-time Catholic Super Bowl Champ Harrison Butker left STUNNED as graduates ERUPT into APPLAUSE after dropping most important message for young women during Commencement TRUTH NUKE:
“You have had the most diabolical lies told to you…”
The NFL distanced itself from Butker’s comments. “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization,” Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer told People. “The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
The Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica denounced Butker’s speech in a statement, particularly the “homemaker” claim in a lengthy response. “Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division,” they wrote.
Rich and Suzy REact to the comments made by #Chiefs kicker #HarrisonButker during a commencement speech Saturday at Benedictine College which included his thoughts on women, diversity & masculinity.
NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, joined by his wife Suzy Shuster, addressed Butker’s speech on May 16. “You’re great at so many things,” Eisen told his wife on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
“And the idea that somebody like you could be sitting in a commencement ceremony – or our daughter could be sitting there – and somebody gets up and says that sort of thing to somebody like yourself or your daughter, it’s just outrageous. It’s completely outrageous.
“For those who basically are saying, ‘He has his right to say that,’ of course, he has his right to say whatever he wants to say.
“And that might be his belief system, but to say that people who are about to receive their diplomas are being lied to ‘diabolically’ because they are being told that some title that awaits them through their hard work isn’t as rewarding as sitting at home and being a mother or being a homemaker… It’s just an outrage.”