Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker released a statement on Friday regarding Serena Williams’ comments at the ESPY Awards this week. In a message that starkly contrasts with his commencement speech this spring at Benedictine College, Butker called on the sports world to have more unity.
Williams took a dig at Butker when she and her sister, Venus Williams, advocated for fans to watch women’s sports.
Serena Williams called out Harrison Butker at the ESPY Awards
As previously discussed on GH, Williams took a dig at Butker when she and her sister, Venus Williams, advocated for fans to watch women’s sports:
Tennis star Venus and Serena Williams introduced a segment of ESPYs on Thursday night in which they encouraged those in attendance to enjoy women’s sports like they would men’s sports. Except if the person watching said sports was Harrison Butker:
“So go ahead and enjoy women’s sports like you would any other sports, because they are sports,” Venus said.
Serena added, “Except you Harrison Butker. We don’t need you.”
Butker attended the ESPY Awards. However, ESPN’s cameras did not cut to his face to see his reaction to Venus’ comment.
Serena’s statement was in reference to Butker encouraging recent female graduates of a catholic university to stay at home and raise children instead of chasing careers. Butker felt the need to respond to the jab.
Kansas City Chiefs K Harrison Butker released a statement
Per a transcript of Butker’s statement via NBC News, he appears to have taken a sarcastic tone to call out Serena for her comment:
“I thought Mrs. Williams was a great host and applaud her for using her platform to express her beliefs on a variety of topics.”
“Sports are supposed to be the great unifier and at an event dedicated to celebrating a diverse group of men and women who have accomplished great feats, she used it as an opportunity to disinvite those with whom she disagrees with from supporting fellow athletes,”
Butker equated diversity and inclusion to tyranny
The opening line seems to reference Butker’s defense that he had every right to lecture women, the LGBTQ community, and Jews at the commencement speech. In the next paragraph, he uses the words “unity” and “diverse”–two ideas he shunned in his speech when he said:
“The world around us says that we should keep our beliefs to ourselves whenever they go against the tyranny of diversity, equity and inclusion.”
At least Butker acknowledges that he disagrees with Serena’s beliefs instead of claiming she received his message wrong–something many of his defenders like to claim. He has made his beliefs clear, which are at odds with what Serena and Venus promoted.
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