Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid and Quarterback Patrick Mahomes defended fellow teammate Harrison Butker after facing intense backlash for his pro-Christian commencement speech at a Catholic college earlier this month.
Butker, a Catholic, panned President Joe Biden, the LGBTQ community, and encouraged graduating women to embrace their role as a “homemaker" during his speech at Benedictine College.
Reid and Mahomes joined a growing rank of fellow Catholics and Chiefs associates during a Wednesday press conference.
When asked about off-field distractions surrounding Butker's remarks at Benedictine College, Reid referred to the Kansas City team as a "microcosm."
"Everybody is from different areas, different religions, different races. And so, we all get along, we all respect each other’s opinions," Reid said. "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.”
Reid lauded fellow Chiefs teammates for respecting their colleagues with differing views.
“They understand how things work. Everybody’s got their own opinion; that’s what’s so great about this country," he continued. "You can share those things, and you work through it. And that’s what guys do.”
One reporter pushed back on Reid's defense of Butker by suggesting he spoke "ill" of women during his commencement speech.
“He has his opinions and we all respect that,” Reid said before directly addressing reporters. “I let you guys in this room and you have a lot of opinions that I don’t like.”
WATCH:
Mahomes similarly expressed support for his teammate, saying he judged Butker by his character.
“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.”
Shortly after Butker's speech, a petition was started on Change.org demanding Butker's dismissal from the Kansas City Chiefs. The petition has garnered just under 225,000 signatures as of Thursday morning.
Last Thursday, the NFL released a statement distancing itself from Butker's views expressed during his commencement speech.
"Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity," NFL's Senior Vice President Jonathan Beane told People Magazine. "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."
