The Kansas City Chiefs are chasing their third-straight Super Bowl, and somehow they look like one of the top teams in the NFL yet again, despite so many potential distractions off the field.
With so much on the line, the organization would ideally like to avoid as many distractions as possible heading amidst the 2024 season, but the opposite has been true.
The Chiefs have dominated headlines this offseason —but the storylines haven’t been about football — and there seems to be one controversy after the next with the Super Bowl champs.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was one of the major storylines over the summer for his involvement in a hit-and-run.
Rice was a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and his rookie season ended with a Super Bowl victory. He was a key part of the effort as he broke the NFL postseason rookie receptions record with 26 catches. However, his football accomplishments are currently being overshadowed by off-field issues. He is facing multiple felony charges due to a multi-vehicle crash that happened in Dallas in March.
Right when the Rice stuff started to die down a little bit, Harrison Butker — the Chiefs kicker, who is one of the best players at his position in the NFL — brought more controversy to the organization due to a speech he gave at a Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. During his commencement speech, Butker was accused of making homophobic, sexist and misogynistic remarks.
The speech from the Kansas City Chiefs kicker has led to division, with outrage coming from one group of people and praise from another, and his jersey was one of the most sold amongst all NFL players in the week following his remarks.
Butker’s comments have caused widespread outrage from the public, with many calling for the Chiefs to release the three-time Super Bowl champion. In fact, there was even an online petition with over 200,000 signatures for Kansas City to cut ties with him.
Instead, the Kansas City Chiefs decided to reward their star kicker with a contract extension and he’s been as clutch as usual after two games into the 2024 campaign.
Then there’s Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, one of the biggest constant stories for both sports media and culture media alike. Everything they do is watched. Everything they say is scrutinized.
Recently, Swift publicly endorsed Kamala Harris ahead of the 2024 presidential debate, so fans naturally assumed Kelce shared the same beliefs.
But like QB Patrick Mahomes — Kelce has kept his political beliefs to himself — but Mahomes’ wife has been vocal about her support for Donald Trump.
There are plenty of wild storylines following the 2024 Chiefs, but so far, none of them are becoming distractions on the field.
Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker’s Jersey Sales Spike Following Controversy
On Thursday, the NFLPA released its list of player merchandise sales from March 1-May 31. Butker cracked the top 50 at No. 11, just the second kicker to do so, joining the Cincinnati Bengals’ Evan McPherson from 2022.
Butker slotted in one spot ahead of teammate Travis Kelce and one place behind San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes came in at No. 2, with C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans taking the top spot.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker gave a speech at Benedictine College criticized Pride Month and the LGBTQ community, blasted President Joe Biden and his response to COVID-19, advocated for women in the workplace to choose homemaking and spoke out against abortion.
Butker never backed off the comments despite plenty of backlash, with many angry NFL fans calling for the Chiefs to cut him or the commissioner to step in and take action.
“In terms of what I said, I had prayed about it and I thought about it and I was very intentional with what I said,” Butker told reporters. “I stand behind what I said.”
“If people knew me as a person and understood I was coming from a place of love and not a place of trying to attack or put people down,” he added. “I only want the best for people. That’s what I was trying to say there. I think the people that were there in that gymnasium understood what I was saying.”
It’s clear the Kansas City Chiefs thrive in the face of adversity which is a scary thought for the rest of the league this season.
