Travis Kelce Speaks Up About Harrison Butker Amid Controversy

Travis Kelce finally broke his silence about Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker amid a backlash against his teammate over his commencement speech.

During the Kelce brothers’ “New Heights” podcast on Friday, Travis defended Butker, calling him a “great person” and more amid attacks from the Left over 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.”

“I have known him for seven plus, eight plus years,” the Chief’s player said. “I cherish him as a teammate. I think Pat [Mahomes] said it best where he [Butker] is every bit of 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.”

“That’s how he treats everyone,” he added. “When it comes down to his views and what he said at Saint Benedict’s commencement speech, those are his. I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids. And I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life, that’s just not who I am.”

“I grew up in a beautiful upbringing of different social classes, different religions, different races and ethnicities in Cleveland Heights. … It showed me a broad spectrum, just a broad view of a lot of different walks of life,” Kelce continued. “And I appreciated every single one of those people for different reasons, and I never once had to feel like I needed to judge them based off of their beliefs.”

Kelce opened up about the home he grew up in, praising his mother and father for both being “homemakers and providers.” He said they were “unbelievable at being present every single day of my life. That was a beautiful upbringing for me.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP

Jason added that it was “a commencement speech at a Catholic university, and, shocker, it ended up being a very religious and Catholic speech.”

Travis’ comments were similar to what Chief’s head coach Andy Reid and KC QB Patrick Mahomes said during a press conference when the two answered questions about the off-field distractions surrounding Butker’s speech.

“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.”

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.”

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases