Kansas City Chiefs' Harrison Butker is facing some serious heat online this week after his 'bigoted' college graduation speech went viral.
While in most Western societies, women are allowed - and encouraged - to pursue the same roles as men when it comes to careers and hobbies, some people still believe that a woman’s role should be centered around her husband and children.
One such person who appears to have these beliefs is Harrison Butker, a kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, who shared his views on the subject during a recent speech at Benedictine College, where he was a guest at the school’s graduation ceremony.
"I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you," Butker began.
"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."
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Butker went on to suggest that the female graduates at Benedictine College 'should own of the most important titles of all' and plan to become homemakers as they look towards the future, using his wife Isabelle as an example of such a title.
Unsurprisingly, Butker has received heaps of backlash for these comments, with many deeming them sexist, misogynistic, and generally unacceptable.
However, beyond just anger, many online were quick to dive into Butker’s own family, discovering that the American Football player’s own mother, Elizabeth Keller Butker, was far from a stay-at-home mom during his youth.
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Instead, the Georgia native’s mom is a radiation oncologist at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and has maintained that role since 1988, well before Butker was even born.
It appears as though the highly-respected physicist didn’t quite personify the role of 'homemaker' that Butker suggests is the proper and most fulfilling role for a woman.
This led many to call him a hypocrite for his comments online.
“Harrison Butker was raised in affluence by his physicist mother, who specializes in gamma knife surgery, went to Smith, & hyphenates her name,” reminded one poster on X.
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The three-time Super Bowl Champion didn’t stop at his statement regarding the role of women in his 20-minute speech at Benedictine College though, as he also criticized things such as the COVID-19 lockdowns, abortion rights, and the LGBTQ+ community.
The kicker’s comments have already been condemned by the NFL, whose statement on the matter was released by Today.com.
“His views are not those of the NFL as an organization,” the statement read. "The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger."
Dylan Murray