Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker shared his hopes for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s future together before making his controversial “homemaker” comments.
“I hope they get married and start a family,” he told EWTN’s “News in Depth” in a resurfaced March interview.
The 28-year-old then gushed over meeting the “humble” and “gracious” hitmaker at a New Year’s Eve party following his team’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
He recalled briefly chatting with Swift, 34, about football when she told him she was impressed that he could “kick the ball so far to the uprights.”
“I was nervous to meet Taylor Swift, it’s Taylor Swift,” he admitted. “But it was a great experience and I can’t say enough great things about her.”
While Butker isn’t a Swiftie, he said her 2022 song “Bejeweled” is his favorite because he’s a fan of the lyric “familiarity breeds contempt.”
Coincidentally, the NFL star cited that same line during his speech at Benedictine College’s graduation ceremony on May 11.
During the commencement speech, Butker spoke out against abortion, women in the workforce, dangerous gender ideologies and Pride Month.
“It is safe to say that over the years, I have gained quite the reputation for speaking my mind,” the three-time Super Bowl winner said at the beginning of his tirade.
“Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder,” the athlete continued, adding that Pride Month is a part of “the deadly sins.”
He then sent a message to the female graduates, telling them their “most important title” should be “homemaker.”
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“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,” Butker added.
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
He also called out the men in the crowd, telling them to “fight against […] cultural emasculation” and “be unapologetic in your masculinity.”
At some point, Butker gave a nod to Swift’s track, saying, “As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘Familiarity breeds contempt.’”
Swifties and Chiefs fans joined together on social media to call out the football player for his misogynist comments.
“Harrison Butker, a dude I had never heard of until today, did a bang-up job of becoming one of the most hated men in North America in the space of one 20-minute speech full of bigotry and misogyny. F–k this guy. This is insane,” one person wrote on X.
“One of the worst parts of this NFL player’s awful speech is that he quoted a Taylor Swift song before telling women they should be homemakers and serve their man’s career,” another chimed in.
Following Butker’s remarks, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, Jonathan Beane, released a statement condemning his speech.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. 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.”
Butker has yet to speak out on the backlash.
