It was rather uncomfortable for both hosts of Good Morning America, Robin Roberts and Stephanie Ramos. The hostess got into a rather intense argument after Ramos mentioned that Harrison Butker had received a standing ovation after his controversial speech.
The argument started with discussing Harrison Butker’s speech at Benedictine College during its graduation ceremony. Ramos described the speech as misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, bigoted, and anti-abortion. The speech has gone viral, generating mixed opinions in both the crowd and the online audience.
Harrison Butker, 28 years old, is an American football kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were his collegiate football team before the Carolina Panthers picked him in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft.
The show’s episode, which aired on May 16, 2024, had a section about Butker’s address. Ramos stated that the placekicker received mixed feedback from the school’s audience.
According to Ramos, several of the spectators and the graduates gave Butker a standing ovation. Roberts countered that commencement addresses often highlight the graduates rather than the speaker’s personal opinions.
Ramos replied that although the speech was controversial, it is important to note that he came at the school’s request. She further added that although Roberts was right, it was an encouraging speech.
It is unclear if she intended the speech specifically or the overall impression that commencement addresses typically evoke. The school was Catholic, so it should not surprise anyone when he made his Catholic beliefs known.
Sixty miles outside of Kansas City, at the private Catholic liberal arts college, Butker is facing attacks for voicing his opinions. Butker encouraged the female graduates to embrace their role as stay-at-home moms.
He congratulated the female students present on their amazing accomplishments, saying they should be glad of their accomplishments at such a young age.
Then, his tone became more preachy. He said he wanted to speak intentionally to women because he believes that women have had the most dangerous lies told to them.
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He began his lesson by asking how many of them would like to go down the career part. He continued talking about how he imagined some of them were thinking about how successful their careers would be.
Although he agreed that some would go on to be successful in their careers, he believes that most are more excited about the prospect of marriage and kids.
He spoke about his wife Isabelle Butker, who he used as an example. He said he could argue that her life truly began when she embraced her life as a wife and mother.
According to Butker, he is where he is today because he has a wife who focuses mostly on her homely duties. He explained that despite all his skills, he is only successful because of her. He referenced their first encounter, saying that they met in band class during his time in middle school. He added that she was the one who led him back to Christianity.
He also spoke about Pride Month, calling it a deadly sin, while adding that it has a month dedicated to it. He also criticized Biden’s deceptive position on abortion as well as the COVID-19 program.
His speech lasted for a total of 20 minutes, which ended with a standing ovation.
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The NFL apologized and denounced Butker’s speech, reaffirming its position on inclusivity. The NFL vice president issued a statement saying that Butker’s position was a personal one and that the speech in no way reflects the view of the NFL as an organization.
Despite the controversy, his team, the Kansas Chiefs, has not released any public statements or information about the player or his speech.
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