Travis Kelce defends Harrison Butker against critics, sparking controversy

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce stood by his teammate, kicker Harrison Butker, during the latest episode of his podcast with his brother.

While Kelce apparently doesn’t share Butker’s views on faith, family and life, he did agree that the player he holds in high regard is entitled to share his views.

Taylor Swift’s boyfriend didn’t go into a great bit of detail about the backlash Butker has faced since he told graduates at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, that it is OK for women to be mothers first, among other things.

But at least the NFL star didn’t throw the three-time Super Bowl-winning kicker under the bus.

As Travis and Jason Kelce discussed the ongoing and collective outrage from the left targeting Butker on their “New Heights” podcast Friday, Travis Kelce was candid.

“I cherish him as a teammate,” he said. “I think [Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes] said it best where he is every bit of a great person and a great teammate.”

Mahomes told reporters this week that although he did not agree with every comment Butker made during his commencement address, he would stand by the kicker.

“When you’re in the locker room, there’s a lot of people from a lot of different areas of life,” Mahomes said, according to NBC News. “There’s certain things that he said 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.”

The talented quarterback concluded that in his estimation, Butker is a “great person.”

According to Kelce, Mahomes was correct to praise the man he calls “Harry.”

“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,” Travis Kelce said. “When it comes down to his views and what he said at the [Benedictine College] commencement speech, you know, 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.”

WARNING: The following video contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.

The tight end, whose life has been under the microscope since he began dating Swift last fall, apparently is not in favor of upholding the nuclear family, calling out society’s lies to women or standing firm on the idea that people can’t change their gender — topics Butker touched on at Benedictine.

But at least he didn’t condemn his teammate for the speech, as many on the left surely hoped he would.

After Jason Kelce noted people will always disagree on important issues, his younger brother agreed.

The now-retired Philadelphia Eagles center also pointed out the obvious, which is that a devout Catholic sharing traditionally Catholic views at a Catholic school with a group of Catholics shouldn’t have surprised anyone.

“He’s giving a commencement speech at a Catholic university, and, shocker, it ended up being a very religious and Catholic speech,” Jason Kelce said.

“To me, I can listen to somebody talk and take great value in it, like when he’s talking about the importance of family and the importance that a great mother can make, while also acknowledging that not everybody has to be a homemaker if that’s not what they want to do in life,” he said.

Travis Kelce agreed with his brother.

Butker triggered hordes of leftists two weeks ago when he told Benedictine students, “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.”

There was nothing remotely controversial about the comment. Still, Butker continues to take flak from rabid feminists, angry sports fans and irrelevant rock stars.

However, his teammates and his coach, Andy Reid, have continued to show him support — and that matters a lot more.