Travis Kelce Responds to Harrison Butker's Controversial Speech: 'Can't Say I Agree with Majority of It'

"When it comes down to his views... those are his," the tight end said on the latest episode of the 'New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce' podcast

• Travis and Jason Kelce spoke about Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's controversial commencement speech on the latest episode of their New Heights podcast

• "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 said of his teammate

• "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," Travis added of the speech

Travis Kelce is weighing in on his Kansas City Chiefs teammate Harrison Butker's controversial commencement speech.

On May 11, Butker, 28, who is a kicker for the NFL team, decried various "diabolical lies told to women" about topics including abortion, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy during a speech at Benedictine College, which is a Catholic school.

During the speech, Butker also quoted lyrics written by Travis' girlfriend, Taylor Swift, 34, from her Midnights song "Bejeweled."

He said, "As my teammate's girlfriend says, 'familiarity breeds contempt,' " referencing the 2022 lyrics.

Without discussing that part of the speech in particular on the May 24 episode of the New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce podcast, Travis said, “I cherish him as a teammate."

Related: Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder Slams 'Diabolical Lie' in Harrison Butker's Controversial Commencement Speech

Mentioning Patrick Mahomes' recent comments about the speech, Travis went on, "I think Pat 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's] commencement speech, those are his," the tight end continued.

"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,” he added.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Travis also mentioned his childhood, growing up in Ohio. He said, “I grew up in a beautiful upbringing of different social classes, different religions, different races and ethnicities, in Cleveland Heights, and that’s why I love Cleveland Heights for what it was."

“It showed me a broad spectrum, just a broad view of a lot of different walks of life," he shared. "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.”

Related: Who Is Harrison Butker's Wife? All About Isabelle Butker

Giving a shoutout to his parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, for how they raised him and his brother Jason Kelce, 36, the NFL star continued, “Both my mother and my father made home what it was."

“They were homemakers and they were providers and they were unbelievable at being present every single day in my life," he said. "That was a beautiful upbringing for me. I don't think everyone should do it the way that my parents did, but I certainly, sure as hell, thank my parents and love my parents for being able to provide and making sure that home was what it was because I'm not the same person without both of them being who they were in my life.”

Jason also had a few things to add about Butker's speech, noting, “There’s always going to be opinions that everybody shares that you’re going to disagree with."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

“And make no mistake about it, a lot of the things he said in his commencement speech are not things that 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," he added.

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

After Butker's speech sparked backlash on social media, the NFL said the league does not agree with his views.

“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger," Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, told PEOPLE in a written statement.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.