Swifties are not gonna like this.
After weeks of backlash against Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker for his pro-woman, pro-tradition, and pro-religion speech at the commencement ceremony at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, his celebrity teammate Travis Kelce spoke out in defense of Butker – which is huge, considering the fact that Kelce is dating pop singer/songwriter Taylor Swift, whose fans roasted Butker’s stance and traditional values.
Here’s an excerpt from Butker’s speech on May 11 that garnered so much controversy:
How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? 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 also condemned IVF and abortion as ways of “playing God.”
Butker has been roasted by mainstream media, celebrities, and even other athletes over his traditional views and values. But on Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end came out in defense of Butker.
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“I’ve known him for seven plus years, probably, eight plus years. And I cherish him as a teammate,” Kelce said on “New Heights,” a podcast he hosts with his brother Jason Kelce, a former Eagles player.
Kelce added the following about Butker, who he calls “Harry”:
He’s treated friends and family that I’ve introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness and that’s how he treats everyone. When it comes down to his views and what he said at Saint Benedict’s commencement speech, those are his.
I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids and I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life. That’s just not who I am.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shared a similar sentiment on Wednesday, noting that Butker was a “good person” regardless of whether or not he necessarily agreed with him.
While Travis Kelce annoys me and Taylor Swift can’t sing, I appreciate that Kelce, given his place in pop culture right now, defended his friend and acknowledged what we’ve been saying throughout this whole process: we’re all entitled to our own opinions and have a constitutional right to proclaim those opinions.
LifeNews Note: Tierin-Rose Mandelburg writes for Newsbusters, where this column originally appeared.
