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Harrison Butker is standing by the comments he made during his controversial Benedictine College commencement speech in May.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker, 29, spoke to the local media at training camp on Wednesday, telling reporters that his words came from “a place of love.”
After admitting that he “respected all the viewpoints” of people who spoke out about his speech — which suggested women should embrace the term “homemaker” — Butker explained, “In terms of what I said, I’ve prayed about it, and thought about it and I was really intentional behind what I said.”
Butker further told reporters that he talked about his speech with some of his teammates which led to “tons of conversations in the locker room.”
He said it also allowed the group to connect more and “understand each other.”
“I really believe if people knew me as a person, and understood that it was coming from a place of love, and not a place of trying to attract or put people down,” Butker added. “I only want the best for people, that’s what I was trying to say there. I think the people that were in that gymnasium all understood what I was saying.”
In his May speech — which has since been condemned by many celebrities and several advocacy organizations including GLAAD — Butker addressed the women in the graduating class, telling them they should aspire to be “homemakers,” wives and mothers.
“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,” he told the crowd at the time.
He also called Pride Month one of “the deadly sins” and defined abortion, IVF, and surrogacy as products of “disorders.”
Following the backlash he received, Butker defended his speech by saying that it was only facing scrutiny because he was vocal about his devout Catholic beliefs.
“As to be expected, the more I’ve talked about what I value most, which is my Catholic faith, the more polarizing I have become,” he said.
“It’s a decision I’ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all. If we have truth and charity, we should trust in the Lord’s providence and let the Holy Ghost do the rest of the work.”
