Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes finally broke their silence about the team’s kicker Harrison Butker — and defended him amid the attacks from the left over his commencement speech.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Reid and the Super Bowl-winning QB answered questions about the off-field distractions surrounding Butker’s speech to the graduates at Benedictine College — when he praised his wife for being a “homemaker,” called out President Joe Biden’s support for abortion, and criticized LGBT “Pride month.”
“We’re a microcosm of life here,” Reid said. “Everybody is from different areas, different religions, different races. And so we all get along, we all respect each other’s opinions. And not necessarily do we go by those, but we respect everybody to have a voice. It’s the great thing about America, man. And we’re just … a microcosm of that. My wish is that everybody could follow that.”
“The guys are good with that,” he added. “They understand. They understand how things work. Everybody’s got their own opinion; that’s what’s so great about this country. You can share those things, and you work through it. And that’s what guys do.”
When pressed further by one reporter claiming Butker was speaking “ill” of women, Reid shut him down and hit back.
“He has his opinions and we all respect that,” Chief’s coach said. “I let you guys [the media] in this room and you have a lot of opinions that I don’t like.”
When Mahomes took the mic he echoed a similar sentiment and said he’s known Butker for seven years and he chooses to judge the placekicker by the character that he “shows every single day, and that’s a good person.”
“That’s someone who cares about the people around him, cares about his family, and wants to make a good impact in society,” Mahomes said. “When you’re in the locker room, there’s a lot of people from a lot of different areas of life, and they have a lot of different views on everything, and we’re not always gonna agree.”
“There are certain things that he said that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I understand the person that he is, and he’s trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction,” he added. “It might not be the same values as I have, but at the same time, I’m gonna judge him by the character that he shows every single day, and that’s a great person.”
Butker’s speech at the Catholic college drew a backlash online, with critics branding him as misogynistic and more.
A Change.org petition calling for the three-time Super Bowl champion to be kicked off the Chiefs team for his “discriminatory” remarks has amassed more than 220,000 signatures.
Related: Chiefs Star Chris Jones Defends Harrison Butker Amid Backlash, And He’s Not Alone