The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t exactly stayed distraction-free in the months following their latest Super Bowl victory. Most recently, kicker Harrison Butker found himself in social-media crosshairs for the veteran’s polarizing commencement speech at Benedictine College. But star Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce became the latest teammate to defend Butker this week, addressing the kicker’s comments on a recent episode of his “New Heights” podcast.
“I’ve known him for seven-plus years probably, eight-plus years,” Kelce said. “And I cherish him as a teammate. I think (Patrick Mahomes) said it best: He is every bit … a great person and a great teammate. He’s treated friends and family that I’ve introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness, and that’s how he treats everyone. When it comes down to his views and what he said at the …. commencement speech, those are his. I can’t say that I agree with the majority of it, or just about any of it outside of him loving his family and his kids, (but) I don’t think I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life … I grew up in a beautiful upbringing of different social classes, different religions, different races and ethnicities. … Both my mother and my father made home what it was. So they were homemakers and they were providers.”
Kelce’s brother, Jason, had similar sentiments on the podcast.
“I (appreciated) teammates’ reactions with the Chiefs, Andy Reid’s reactions,” Kelce said. “You learn more about who people are with who they are on a daily basis. … A lot of the things he said are not things I align myself with, but he’s giving a commencement speech at a Catholic university and — shocker — it ended up being a very religious and Catholic speech.”
Among others, Butker’s comments drew the attention of the NFL office with commissioner Roger Goodell releasing the following statement last…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/travis-kelce-joins-andy-reid-patrick-mahomes-in-defending-harrison-butker-calls-chiefs-kicker-great-person/
Author : Cody Benjamin
Publish date : 2024-05-24 16:40:27
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