Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes are the latest to speak out about Harrison Butker’s controversial commencement speech.
Reid, 66, and Mahomes, 28, were both asked about Butker’s comments during a press conference on Wednesday, May 22, just nearly two weeks after the Chiefs kicker addressed the crowd during the commencement ceremony at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.
Butker, 28, quickly began receiving backlash once social media got wind of what he had to say during the speech, as he spoke extensively about his political and religious views.
But it was his comments toward the women in the graduating class that really stirred up anger from the public after the athlete declared that one of the most important titles a woman can hold is that of a “homemaker.”
When Reid was asked about Butker’s comments, he insisted that he didn’t find Butker’s comments to speak “ill” of women and that he hadn’t even talked to his player about the situation.
“We’re a microcosm of life here, from different areas, different religions, races and so we all get along and we all respect each other’s opinions,” he said. “We respect everybody to have a voice—that’s the great thing about America.”
Mahomes took a slightly different approach to the situation, noting that while he doesn’t “necessarily agree” with everything Butker said in the speech, he knows his teammate to be a “good person.”
“I’ve known Harrison for seven years and I judge him by the character that he shows every single day. And that that’s a good person,” Mahomes said.
“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,” he continued, adding, “We’re not always going to agree.”
