Roger Goodell and Harrison Butker (Photos via Ethan Miller/Getty Images and Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell doesn’t exactly have a great history of addressing sensitive topics and controversy to the media, but he scored a rare victory with his statement on comments made by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.
The 28-year-old kicker made headlines on May 11 when he delivered a controversial commencement speech to graduating students at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Harrison Butker made homophobic, antisemitic, sexist and misogynistic remarks and encouraged the women in the graduating class to become “homemakers.”
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Many were outraged over the silence by Goodell and the Chiefs organization on Butker’s comments. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the commissioner finally addressed them and opted to stay neutral on the topic:
“We have over 3,000 players. We have executives around the league. They have diversity of opinions and thoughts just like America does. That’s something we treasure.”
Pelissero also noted that Goodell deferred to the league’s previous statement on Butker’s comments, shared by NFL Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion officer Jonathan Beane last week. Beane told People that the league does not share Butker’s views.
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As the NFL Commissioner, Goodell isn’t in the best spot to share his opinion on what Butker stated in the commencement speech. Harrison Butker certainly isn’t the only NFL player, coach or staffer to have those beliefs, so Goodell had no choice but to avoid adding more fuel to the saga.
Harrison Butker Likely Won’t Be Reprimanded For His Comments
Butker certainly isn’t the first (nor will he be the last) NFL player to express controversial and offensive comments that caused public backlash. But whether fans like it or not, it’s evident that he won’t be reprimanded for his comments.
Both Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid emphasized that Butler has his freedom of speech. If the Chiefs were that disturbed and unhappy with Butker’s comments, he would have been fined or outright released by now.
Kansas City has employed Butker since his 2017 rookie season. He’s been a key member of their three Super Bowl championship teams, so it’s not surprising that they’re opting to deal with the public backlash and keeping him on their roster.
