The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs head coach and all-star quarterback on Wednesday defended kicker Harrison Butker against the leftist mob that wants him either fired or silenced for defending traditional family values.
Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes both said their team’s locker room is a place for the free exchange of ideas and that they judge Butker on his character and not by what he said.
Butker, the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history, ignited a firestorm among liberals recently when he suggested to women graduates at tiny Benedictine College, a Catholic college in Kansas, that they would find life most fulfilling if they embraced marriage and motherhood instead of devoting their lives solely to professional pursuits.
Butker, who is Catholic, also ripped into feminists, LGBTQ activists, pro-abortionists, and advocates of “the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion.” He denounced President Joe Biden, who claims to be Catholic, for his support of abortion.
At the press conference Wednesday, Mahomes pushed back on the character assassins coming for Butker.
“I’ve known Harrison for seven years and I judge him by the character that he shows every single day — that’s a good person,” said Mahomes. “That’s someone who cares about the people around him, cares about his family, and wants to make a good impact in society.”
“There are certain things that he said that I don’t necessarily agree with,” Mahomes added, noting the Chiefs’ players have “very vast” differences of opinions that reflect their backgrounds.
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“That’s what makes this country so great: That you’re able to get as much knowledge as you can and then make your own decisions,” said Mahomes. “But I understand the person that he is. And he’s trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction.”
“That might not be the same values that I have,” Mahomes continued. “But at the same time, I’m going to judge him by the character that he shows every single day, and that’s a great person.”
For his part, Reid told reporters that he did not talk to Butker about the controversy because he didn’t feel the need.
“We’re a microcosm of life here. Everybody’s from different areas, different religions, different races, and so we all get along. We all respect each other’s opinions,” said Reid. “It’s a great thing about America, man.”
“My wish is that everybody could kinda follow that.”
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When a reporter asked Reid about how Butker’s comments might have affected women who work for the team, the coach said he didn’t think Butker was speaking “ill” of them.
But, he reiterated, Butker was only voicing his opinions.
“I let you guys in this room, and you have a lot of opinions that I don’t like,” said Reid.
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