Football Star’s Benedictine College Speech Ignites Online Firestorm of Protest and Praise
5/17/24 – – Last weekend, Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker delivered a commencement address to the 2024 graduating class of Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. While the football star’s 20-minute speech was well received by the majority of those in attendance, his views on issues ranging from birth control and abortion to Pride Month and toxic masculinity set traditional news outlets and social media platforms on fire.
There are valuable lessons to be learned from the crises buffeting Benedictine College, Butker, his team, and the National Football League.
Before the uproar, you may not have heard of Harrison Butker (nicknamed “Buttkicker” by his teammates). But in the six years since his graduation from Georgia Tech, he has become a fan favorite in Kansas City, winning three Super Bowls and setting records for most post-season field goals. In January he kicked the longest field goal in Super Bowl history, 57-yards, to help the Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers.
You also may not know much about Benedictine College. With an enrollment of 2,100 students, the small Catholic liberal arts school is unapologetic about its conservative Christian values, which are shared enthusiastically by Butker.
“Homemaker” Remark Sets off a Storm
With his eyes welling with tears, Butker addressed what has become the most controversial part of his commencement speech to the women graduates:
I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation. I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.
Oh-oh.
The audience responded with nearly 20 seconds of applause. But not everybody was onboard. A graduating graphic design major told NBC News, “My jaw dropped . . . It was just very uncomfortable, and I was looking back and forth at some of my friends and we were like, this is just not the time and place for this at all.”
A video of the address, which ended with a standing ovation, went viral within hours. A petition was launched to force the Chiefs to fire Butker, and X lit up with angry comments:
“I dare Harrison Butker to tell Taylor Swift that she has no value until she is a wife and mother.”
“You see, this is why we need Pride Month, this is why I continue to say LGBTQ people BELONG.”
“This is atrocious. As talented as he is, you can find a kicker that’s not homophobic and misogynistic pretty easily, I bet.”
Balancing the outrage were voices of support, including Butker’s teammate Chris Jones who posted on X: “I love you @buttkicker7 ! My brotha.” Gracie Hunt, a member of the family that owns the Chiefs, told Fox and Friends, “I really respect Harrison and his Christian faith and what he’s accomplished on and off the field.” And Butker’s #7 jersey (both for men and women) is number one in sales for all NFL players — unheard of for a kicker!
Analyzing the NFL’s Response
In response to the crescendo of controversy, the NFL released this statement by Chief Diversity Officer Jonathan Beane:
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
I listened to Butker’s address and certainly understand the blowback. His positions are way beyond those of most mainstream Catholic organizations. But having said that, the NFL needs to be consistent about its policies and attitude toward players expressing their personal opinions and religious beliefs, even if they are extreme, off the field. Same holds for individual teams.
The NFL’s statement — at least the first half of it — is on the mark: “Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization.” The next sentence, however, is in my opinion unnecessarily prejudicial and provocative: “The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
I would have advocated for sticking with the initial thought and not tiptoeing into a review/rebuttal. That puts the NFL in the crosshairs of repeated news cycles, and sets a precedent for opining on the meaning of all player’s public statements. Especially when it comes to religious beliefs, that’s a slippery slope. Better to leave it to Butker to answer his critics — in his “personal capacity.”
The league chose to focus on “inclusion.” Most of the criticism has been directed at Butker’s thoughts on the role of women in society. How does the NFL feel about that? Is that part of “inclusion”? What about birth control, which Butker is against? What does the NFL think about that? Do they have a position on abortion? Reporters are going to ask, “tell me more!” You see where I’m going with this.
And I question the NFL’s decision to have its comment come from the head of DEI, not Commissioner Roger Goodell (who is reportedly paid more than $40 million per year to make tough decisions and take the heat). An NFL study found that since 2000 there have been 1,065 arrests of NFL players. The Kansas City Chiefs accounted for 43. Is the DEI officer going to be commenting on those events? Or will it be the head of security, legal affairs or player development?
I believe that public statements about controversial player situations should come from the Commissioner. Otherwise, the title/area of responsibility of the spokesperson colors the statement, as it has in the Butker case. Will the DEI person be front and center when the next NFL player beats the you-know-what out of his girlfriend?
Politics and Religion are Kryptonite for Brands
We’ve not yet heard officially from the Chiefs or from Harrison Butker since he stepped away from the lectern. He’s learning the hard way that individuals, like products, companies and organizations, are brands in the truest sense of the word. The Harrison Butker brand now stands for a lot more than being a great football player. How many fans has he turned off with his outspokenness? How many has he won over with his conviction? Opinion research consistently finds that most sports fans deeply resent politics and personal non-sports agendas creeping into entertaining pastimes they cherish for escape.
As for Benedictine College, the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, co-founders the college, have made their displeasure crystal clear:
“Our community has taught young women and men not just how to be ‘homemakers’ in a limited sense, but rather how to make a Gospel-centered, compassionate home within themselves where they can welcome others as Christ, empowering them to be the best versions of themselves. We reject a narrow definition of what it means to be Catholic.”
It will be fascinating and instructive to see how this turns out, especially for Butker. Corporate communicators should pay special attention to how challenging crises triggered by political or religious expression can be. Going to school on this cautionary tale should reinforce the wisdom of resisting the pressure to wander into the briar patch of social commentary. Navigating those reputational storms is even tougher than nailing a 57-yard field goal in the Super Bowl.
Here’s a link to the transcript of Butker’s address:
https://www.ncregister.com/news/harrison-butker-speech-at-benedictine
Crisis Quotient Blog 