ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- Harrison Butker calls himself an introvert who believes in guarding his privacy.
But when Benedictine College, a small Catholic school in rural Kansas, asked him to deliver a commencement speech last spring, he said he felt compelled to do it, and on his terms. "I've been in the league now seven years and I do have a platform,'' said Butker, the longtime kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs . "So with that comes people that want me to state what I believe to be very important.
" Butker gave a speech on May 11 that he said took months to prepare. His comments were considered anti-gay and sexist. Among other things, Butker criticized Pride Month and said being a homemaker was more valuable for a woman than anything that could be achieved in the workplace.
Editor's Picks Sources: Chiefs make Butker NFL's richest kicker 2d Adam Teicher Chiefs' Butker: No regrets for expressing beliefs 74d Latest updates from NFL training camp: Levis, Ridley finally connecting after early struggles in camp. 1h ESPN Butker didn't back down from his comments Wednesday. "I'm going to stand behind what it is I'm saying,'' Butker said.
"I kind of look at the offseason as a little bit of a maybe five-month period where I can just represent me as Harrison Butker as a faithful Catholic. And then obviously when it gets to the season, I try to focus as much as I can on football and not being a distraction for the Chiefs." Butker's comments didn't go unnoticed by those in the Chiefs' locker ro.