Jason Kelce DEFENDS Harrison Butker over controversial ‘homemaker’ speech as he claims not enough people talk about importance of family

Butker sparked major controversy earlier this month when he addressed graduates at Benedictine College, after claiming women should prioritize being ‘homemakers’ instead of pursuing careers, while also taking aim at the LGBTQ+ community, abortion advocates and more in an opinion-dividing speech.

However, while some have criticized the Super Bowl winner, retired Philadelphia Eagles legend Kelce sought a more positive outlook on Butker’s address, even though he admitted that he didn’t agree with the entirety of the speech. The former Super Bowl-winning center claimed that Butker shared an important message about family.

‘He talks about family,’ Kelce said on the latest episode of New Heights. ‘I don’t think we have enough people talking about the foundation of family and the seriousness of parenthood. ‘If you’re going to embark on being a parent, I do think it needs to be the most important thing in your life. If your kids aren’t the most important thing in your and your wife’s life, you are failing in my opinion.

‘I also don’t think women, for the most part, are the issue here. I think there’s a much bigger issue with another gender in terms of raising kids. ‘We’ve played our entire careers with people that we don’t align on with everything. I don’t know I’ve played with one teammate that he and I have agreed with every single thing that each one of us thinks. And that’s the beauty! You find a way to work together.’

Kelce’s brother, Travis Kelce, who is a Chiefs teammate of Butker, also broke his silence on the saga during the episode. He stood up for his teammate against the cancel culture backlash, even though he disagreed with it almost entirely. Jason, who has three young daughters with his wife Kylie, added that the reactions from the people who actually know Butker, such as Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Travis, carried more value than those on the internet.

It’s always great to hear from people who really actually know people than a bunch of people reacting to comments without really having met the guy,’ he said. ‘I think the teammates reactions, Andy Reid’s reaction – you learn about people on a daily basis. There are always going to be opinions that everybody shares that you are going to disagree with.

‘Make no mistake about it, the things he said in the 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 speech. ‘To me, I can listen to somebody talk and take great value in it when he is talking about the importance of family and the importance of a great mother – while also acknowledging that not everybody has to be a homemaker if that’s not what they want to do in life.

‘When you listen to somebody, you take in what you like and you listen to other things and say I don’t f***ing like that.’ ‘I’ve had so many people ask me what would you do if your daughters had to sit there and listen to someone tell them after they have just earned a degree that they should just go and align to be homemakers. ‘I would say that if my daughters listen to someone tell them what to do, that they should be homemakers, I failed as a dad,’ Jason said.

‘Like what the f**k are you talking about? I don’t care who’s talking to them, if you let somebody up on a stage tell you that you can’t do that, and then you’re like “oh f**k, I guess I won’t go be a CEO”… then you’re not gonna make it! ‘If you don’t like what somebody says, all you gotta do is just say: “That guy’s a f***ing idiot” – and then you move on. I don’t get what the whole fuss is about quite honest.’

Kelce then backtracked by stressing that he does understand the controversy surrounding Butker’s remarks, before making a joke about his wife Kylie when discussing her thoughts on the commencement speech. ‘I get what the fuss is about, because I know that certain groups have been persecuted against for a long period in this country,’ he continued. And women in particular, obviously my wife… I think she was a little bit frustrated with some of these comments.

‘Initially I said listen, you’re gonna have to go back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich. I’m listening to the game right now.’ The Kelce brothers then burst into laughter before Travis said: ‘We were doing so good! We were killing it!’ Jason then added: ‘I hope she didn’t hear that.’