NEWSPatrick Mahomes Insists Teammate Harrison Butker Is a 'Good Person' Despite Chiefs Kicker Degrading Women in Controversial Commencement Speech
Patrick Mahomes is giving his teammate Harrison Butker the benefit of the doubt.
During a Kansas City Chiefs press conference on Wednesday, May 22, the star quarterback said he would rather "judge [Butker] by the character he shows every single day" than by the shocking statements he made encouraging women to become "homemakers" during a speech to graduates at Benedictine College earlier this month.
Patrick Mahomes stood up for his teammate Harrison Butker amid backlash over his controversial commencement speech.
"I've known him for seven years," Mahomes, 28, declared of Butker, also 28 — who assumed "the majority" of females in the audience were "most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world" and not about the degree they just spent four years working hard to earn.
Mahomes continued: "When you're in the locker room, there's a lot of people from a lot of different areas in life. They have a lot of different views on everything and we're not always going to agree."
The quarterback insisted Harrison Butker is 'a good person.'
The 15 and the Mahomies Foundation co-creator admitted he believes the controversial kicker is "a good person" and "someone who cares about the people around him," however, Mahomes noted there were "certain things he said that I don't necessarily agree with."
"But I understand the person that he is and he's trying to what he can to lead people in the right direction," Mahomes added. "That might not be the same values as I have, but at the same time, I'm going to judge him by the character that he shows every single day."
Harrison Butker assumed most women are 'most excited' to get married and have kids.
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Despite enraging tons of social media users with his hurtful words, Mahomes doesn't think Butker's behavior will have any effect on the Chiefs' success next season.
"We'll continue to move along and try to help build each other up to make ourselves better every single day. At the end of the day, we're going to come together as a team," the all-star quarterback insisted of the reigning Super Bowl champions.
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The Chiefs kicker also made homophobic comments about the LGBTQ+ community.
During the press conference, Butker and Mahomes' coach Andy Reid also shed light on the kicker's questionable commencement monologue — in which he also made homophobic comments about the LGBTQ+ community.
The Chiefs head coach defended the athlete, stating, "I don't think he was speaking ill of women."
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"He has his opinions, and we all respect that. I let you guys in this room and you have a lot of opinions that I don't like," Reid pointed out, noting Butker's right to speak his mind is "a great thing about America."
"Everybody's got their own opinion," Reid mentioned. "You could share those things, and you work through it."
