Harrison Butker rails against Pride month, Biden during commencement address

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas Metropolis Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker railed towards Satisfaction month together with President Biden’s management in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and his stance on abortion throughout a graduation tackle at Benedictine Faculty final weekend.

The three-time Tremendous Bowl champion delivered the roughly 20-minute tackle Saturday on the Catholic personal liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas, which is situated about 60 miles north of Kansas Metropolis.

Butker, who has made his conservative Catholic beliefs well-known, started his tackle by attacking what he known as “harmful gender ideologies” in an obvious reference to Satisfaction month, which has been celebrated in June for the reason that Stonewall riots in 1969. He additionally criticized an article by The Related Press highlighting a shift towards conservativism in some components of the Catholic Church.

The 28-year-old Butker then took purpose at Biden’s insurance policies, together with his response to COVID-19, which has killed almost 1.2 million folks within the U.S., in keeping with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.

“Whereas COVID might need performed a big function all through your adolescence, it’s not distinctive,” he mentioned. “The dangerous insurance policies and poor management have negatively impacted main life points. Issues like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, in addition to a rising help for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of dysfunction.”

Butker later addressed the ladies within the viewers, arguing that their “most essential title” ought to be that of “homemaker.”

“I believe it’s you, the ladies, who’ve had probably the most diabolic lies instructed to you,” Butker mentioned. “A few of you could go on to guide profitable careers on the planet, however I might enterprise to guess that almost all of you’re most enthusiastic about your marriage and the youngsters you’ll deliver into this world. I can let you know that my lovely spouse Isabelle can be the primary to say her life actually began when she began dwelling her vocation as a spouse and as a mom.”

The Chiefs declined to touch upon Butker’s graduation tackle.

The 2017 seventh-round select of Georgia Tech has turn into of the NFL’s greatest kickers, breaking the Chiefs’ franchise report with a 62-yard area aim in 2022. Butker helped them win their first Tremendous Bowl in 50 years in 2020, added a second Lombardi Trophy in 2023, and he kicked the sphere aim that compelled time beyond regulation in a Tremendous Bowl win over San Francisco in February.

It has been an embarrassing offseason for the Chiefs, although.

Final month, voters in Jackson County, Missouri, soundly rejected a poll initiative that will have helped pay for a downtown ballpark for the Royals and an $800 million renovation to Arrowhead Stadium, the house of the Chiefs. Many citizens criticized the plan put ahead by the Chiefs as catering primarily to VIPs and the rich.

The identical week, extensive receiver Rashee Rice turned himself into Dallas police on a number of prices, together with aggravated assault, after he was concerned in a high-speed crash that left 4 folks with accidents. Rice has acknowledged being the motive force of one of many sports activities automobiles that was entering into extra of 100 mph, and video exhibits him leaving the scene with out offering data or figuring out whether or not anybody wanted medical consideration.

Final week, regulation enforcement officers instructed The Dallas Morning Information that Rice additionally was suspected of assaulting an individual at a downtown nightclub; Dallas police didn’t identify Rice because the suspect in detailing a report back to The Related Press.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid mentioned he had spoken to the receiver and the staff was letting the authorized course of play out.

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AP NFL:

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