The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl Champions for the second year in a row and for the third time in five years. Unfortunately, while the team should be celebrating an accomplishment that has rarely been achieved in the NFL (back-to-back titles), most of the team’s offseason has been highlighted by the legal issues and controversial beliefs of a handful of their players.
Wide receiver Rashee Rice is likely looking at a lengthy suspension following his role in a high-speed car accident in Dallas. He was reportedly driving 119 MPH and left the scene of the accident. Rice has been charged with multiple felonies in relation to the incident and has had other past behavior (shooting at SMU student’s car) brought to light.
However, it was the controversial commencement address at Benedictine College by kicker Harrison Butker that has dominated headlines lately.
Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker Has Been Criticized for Comments Made in His Speech
During his 20-minute long speech, Butker praised the traditional, conservative values that he and others hold as what he refers to true Catholics. He railed against American society for being accepting of different lifestyles and for the “diabolical lies” they tell women:
“For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives. I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you.
“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’s comments here received a great deal of backlash from many, with various celebrities taking to social media to denounce his view on women and what he calls their highest calling.
Even the nuns that founded and still sponsor the college released a statement expressing their disagreement with Butker’s views.
Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker Took Shots at the United States Government
Butker has become the face of a movement called the Traditional Latin Mass, or TLM. This group of far right Catholics are in full disagreement with the Pope in Rome and are actively trying to usurp power and influence away from him.
In part of his speech, Butker criticized many Catholic Church leaders for not being Catholic enough. Of course, what he meant was that they are not extreme enough.
But his criticism was not limited to just church leaders. He also falsely accused the United States government for passing a law that would throw Christians in prison for saying who crucified Jesus:
“The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority. Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail.”
What Butker is trying to say, without explicitly saying it, is that if a person says, “The Jews killed Jesus,” they can be arrested and thrown in prison.
This is not true, nor is it historically accurate that the Jewish people killed Jesus of Nazareth. The Romans did.
The White House Announces a Decision on Invitation for Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker
After Butker’s comments, many wondered if he would be invited to the White House for the Super Bowl victory celebration with the rest of his team. President Joe Biden, after all, is Catholic and many of Butker’s comments were directed people who practice their faith in the way that Biden does.
According to the White House Press Secretary, however, no player is being excluded from the team’s general invitation:
“What I can say is we invite the entire team and we do that always. I don’t have anything beyond that.”
It does not sound like the President has any public comments directly for Butker, but one can assume that it will be a little tense should the two talk at all during the Chiefs’ White House visit.
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