A petition to dismiss Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has been launched following his commencement speech at Benedictine College.
During his speech, the three-time Super Bowl winner called men to be “unapologetic in your masculinity.”
While discussing the importance of his own faith, Butker noted that “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.”
“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,” Butker continued.
“He is not alone. From the man behind the Covid lockdowns, to the people pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America, they all have a glaring thing in common — they are Catholic. This is an important reminder that being Catholic alone doesn’t cut it,” he declared.
During another moment in the speech, Butker brought attention to the “deadly sin sort of pride that has a month dedicated to it.”
“But if we are going to be men and women for this time in history, we need to stop pretending that the ‘church of nice’ is a winning proposition. We must always speak and act in charity, but never mistake charity for cowardice,” he said.
“I never envisioned myself to have this sort of a platform, but God has given it to me, so I have no other choice but to embrace it and preach more hard truths about accepting your lane and staying in it.”
Following Butker’s speech, the NFL emphasized that it does not share the kicker’s views.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” said NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane. “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.”
A petition to remove Butker from the NFL was also launched.
“His comments were sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-abortion and racist,” the petition reads. “These dehumanizing remarks against LGBTQ+ individuals, attacks on abortion rights and racial discrimination perpetuate division and undermine human rights.”
“These comments reinforce harmful stereotypes that threaten social progress. They create a toxic environment that hinders our collective efforts towards equality, diversity and inclusion in society. It is unacceptable for such a public figure to use their platform to foster harm rather than unity.”
The petition noted that Butker’s “discriminatory attitudes” contribute to “societal issues such as hate crimes” as well as increasing “mental health issues among targeted communities.”
“We demand accountability from our sports figures who should be role models promoting respect for all people regardless of their race, gender identity or sexual orientation,” the petition’s organizers stated. “We call upon the Kansas City Chiefs management to dismiss Harrison Butker immediately for his inappropriate conduct.”