Harrison Butker doesn't take anything he said in his controversial commencement speech back.
Speaking to local media at Kansas City Chiefs training camp this week, the kicker was of course asked to comment on the uproar his address caused in May and in the weeks since.
"I've appreciated all the feedback," he told journalists in footage shared on X. "With it being the off season and stating a lot of these things, I was really curious as to what people would be saying back to me, and I respected all the viewpoints."
Though he says he considered opinions different than his own, Butker has not changed his position since giving his speech. "In terms of what I said, I prayed about it, and I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said and I stand behind what I said," the NFL pro explained.
Asked to address people's concerns about how he views the role of women in society, Butker replied, "My whole career I've talked about how I'm a husband and I'm a father before it comes to me as a kicker."
He continued, "But then when I use that to talk about women, I say that they should embrace and love being wives and being mothers over their career. I think then it gets construed that I'm trying to put women down, which I'm not at all. I love women, I love my wife, and it comes from a place of love."
He went on to share that his wife Isabelle "has sacrificed so much for me, and added that "she has focused on being the ultimate wife, and the ultimate mother."
#Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker spoke to local media at training camp today for the first time since his viral May commencement speech at Benedictine.His comments in part, specifically to the feedback he's gotten: pic.twitter.com/9wjQxmShTvAugust 7, 2024
Butker made a lot of enemies after people deemed a graduation speech he gave at Catholic university Benedictine College this past May to be "misogynistic," "homophobic," and "transphobic."
His comments about women got people particularly incensed, as he addressed the female graduates directly, telling them, "How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you're going to get in your career? 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."
People online criticized Butker far and wide, and the NFL distanced itself from the speech by stating, "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."
Public figures including Maria Shriver, Hoda Kotb, Katy Perry, and Serena Williams went on to express their strong disagreement with Butker's words.
