Wife Of Kansas City Chiefs Owner Says Viral Harrison Butker Speech 'Is Not Bigoted'
The wife of Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt is defending Harrison Butker’s commencement speech Saturday at Benedictine College, in which the Chiefs kicker railed against abortion rights while urging female graduates to prioritize motherhood over their careers.
“Affirming motherhood and praising your wife, as well as highlighting the sacrifice and dedication it takes to be a mother, is not bigoted,” Tavia Hunt wrote Friday on Instagram. “It is empowering to acknowledge that a woman’s hard work in raising children is not in vain.”
“Countless highly educated women devote their lives to nurturing and guiding their children,” she added. “Someone disagreeing with you doesn’t make them hateful; it simply means they have a different opinion. Let’s celebrate families, motherhood and fatherhood.”
In his speech at the Catholic liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas, Butker claimed “degenerate cultural values” are fueling “dangerous gender ideologies” and called federal efforts promoting diversity, equity and inclusion a “tyranny” before arguing that the women in the crowd had been told “the most diabolical lies” about their potential futures.
“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,” he said, adding that his wife’s life “truly started” in motherhood.
In a statement Thursday, the NFL publicly disagreed with the conservative viewpoints in Butker’s speech, in which he also referred to Taylor Swift as “my teammate’s girlfriend” and claimed President Joe Biden supports “the murder of innocent babies.”
He was equally slammed by Swifties on social media, “Today” show host Hoda Kotb, rapper Flavor Flav and others. “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg defended Butker’s speech while still denouncing its content.
In her Friday post, Tavia Hunt went on to cite Scripture in support of Butker’s remarks.
“Proverbs 31:28 says, ‘Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all,’” she wrote. “Embracing the beautiful roles that God has made is something to celebrate.”
Butker has since been mocked by one of the cheerleaders for his own team and criticized by the wife of a former player. An online petition demanding the Chiefs kick Butker off the roster is closing in on its goal of 200,000 signatures.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article said Tavia Hunt supported her husband’s remarks. She was speaking of Chiefs player Harrison Butker.
