VIDEO: Harrison Butker Refuses to Back Down After Pro-Christian Commencement Speech: ‘I Stand by What I Said’

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Candice Ward/Getty Images
Dylan Gwinn

Those who thought $25 million would change Harrison Butker’s mind or soften his views on the place Christianity should hold in our lives got a very disappointing answer on Wednesday.

The Chiefs kicker who angered leftists and atheists (and even some on the right) with his May commencement speech at Benedictine College, in which he championed motherhood over careers, blasted Joe Biden’s handling of COVID, abortion, IVF, and other issues, angered his foes once again by becoming the most highly paid kicker in the NFL, signing a massive $25.6 million deal with the Chiefs earlier this week.

“Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally,” Butker said at the time.

“He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies, that I’m sure to many people, it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice,” he said, slamming the president and adding that the left is destroying the country with its “tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

On Wednesday, when reporters asked about those comments at Benedictine College, Butker stressed that nothing had changed in the nearly three months since he made them.

“I prayed about it, I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said,” Butker said. “I stand by what I said.

“I really believe if people knew me as a person and understood that it was coming from a place of love and not a place of trying to attract or put people down,” Butker added. “I only want the best for people; that’s what I was trying to say there. I think the people that were in that gymnasium all understood what I was saying.”

Not everyone was opposed to Butker when he espoused Christian values. Chiefs heiress Gracie Hunt defended Butker and the impact of a mother who stays home.

“I can only speak from my own experience, which is I had the most incredible mom who had the ability to stay home and be with us as kids growing up,” Hunt said. “And I understand that there are many women out there who can’t make that decision, but for me in my life, I know it was really formative in shaping me and my siblings to be who we are.”

The Chiefs will open the season at home on September 5 when they host the Ravens on Thursday Night Football.

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