Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker came under fire for so-called controversial comments he made during a commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas, but teammate Travis Kelce said he's choosing to believe the feedback from those who know Butker best.
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As opposed to, ya know, people on social media who don't know him at all.
"I've known him for seven-plus years, probably eight-plus years, and I cherish him as a teammate," Kelce said. "I think (Patrick Mahomes) said it best where, he 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. And that's how he treats everyone.
"When it comes down to his views and what he said at [Benedictine College] commencement speech, those are his. I can't say I agree the majority of it, or just about any of it outside of 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."
Kelce made the comments on the New Heights podcast that he co-hosts with brother Jason Kelce, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles. Jason also weighed in.
"There's always going to be the opinions everybody shares that you're going to disagree with," Jason Kelce said. "Make no mistake about it, a lot of the things he said during his commencement speech 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.
"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 a great mother can make, while also acknowledging that not everybody has to be a homemaker if that's what they want to do in life."
