Colton Underwood isn’t shocked by the NFL’s response to Harrison Butker‘s Benedictine College commencement speech. During a new interview, the former football player, 32, reacted to how professionals in the league reacted to Harrison’s remarks.
“It is not surprising to me,” Colton told Us Weekly in an interview published on Tuesday, June 4, adding that the NFL’s reach is “global” now. “Look, I’ve been a part of it. At the end of the day, they’re making a business decision. I think that is what needs to be said. The NFL, as much as it is a sport, it’s an entertainment business.”
Although Colton did not specify whose statements he was referring to, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid reacted to Harrison’s remarks in a press conference earlier this month. “We’re a microcosm of life here, from different areas, different religions, races and so we all get along and we all respect each other’s opinions,” Andy said. “We respect everybody to have a voice, that’s the great thing about America.”
However, NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane noted that Harrison’s “views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”
Harrison’s commencement address sparked a nationwide outrage. While addressing the graduates of Benedictine College in Kansas on May 11, he called Pride Month a “deadly sin” and noted that “one of the most important titles” for women was being a “homemaker.”
Harrison Butker completely misses the point about why he was criticized for what he said during commencement speech… pic.twitter.com/E6ReuwRcxb
— Christian Nightmares (@ChristnNitemare) May 28, 2024
“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,” Harrison said.
The Chiefs kicker went on to note that without men, society would have “disorder, dysfunction and chaos.”
“As men, we set the tone of the culture,” Harrison said, adding, “This absence of men in the home is what plays a large role in the violence we see all around the nation.”
Furthermore, Harrison criticized President Joe Biden — whom Harrison and his teammates recently visited at the White House — as “a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the Sign of the Cross during a pro- abortion rally.”
“He has been so vocal in his support for the murder of innocent babies that I’m sure to many people it appears that you can be both Catholic and pro-choice,” Harrison added about the president.
