Travis Kelce isn’t writing off his teammate Harrison Butker after the kicker made controversial statements about women, the LGBTQ+ community and more while speaking at a college graduation. However, Travis made it clear that he doesn’t agree with all the points that Harrison, who quoted a Taylor Swift song in the speech, made.
“I know Harry and I saw him in the building. I call him Harry. I might be the only person who calls him Harry,” Travis, 34, told older brother Jason Kelce on the Friday, May 24, episode of their “New Heights” podcast. “That just tells you … I mean, I’ve known him for seven-plus, eight-plus years and I cherish him as a teammate.”
The professional athlete said that he’s only seen Harrison, 28, treat people “with nothing but respect and kindness” over the years. “When it comes down to his views and what he said [during] the commencement speech, you know, those are his [views]. I can’t say I agree with the majority of it – or just about any of it – outside of just him loving his family or kids. I don’t think I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views of how he goes about life.”
Harrison received major backlash from social media users after he spoke at Benedictine College’s graduation ceremony in Kansas on May 11. In his address at the Catholic university, Harrison revealed his preference that women be stay-at-home wives and mothers instead of getting jobs. He also referred to Pride Month as a “deadly sin” and denounced abortion rights.
The speech also quoted a lyric from Taylor’s 2022 hit “Bejeweled,” as Harrison told the graduation students, “As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘Familiarity breeds contempt.’” This sparked backlash from the pop star’s fanbase, with Swifties calling Harrison out for only referring to Taylor, 34, in relation to a man.
While Harrison has not commented on the controversy, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes did weigh in and shared similar sentiments to what Travis stated.
“There’s certain things that he said that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I understand the person that he is, and he is trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction,” Patrick, 28, said, per ESPN. “And that might not be the same values I have, but at the same time, I’m going to judge him by the character that he shows every single day [and] that’s a great person. We’ll continue to move along and try to help build each other up to make ourselves better every single day.”
He also made it clear that he was focused on the upcoming football season and none of the outside noise. “At the end of the day, we’re going to come together as a team, and I think that will help out [with] eliminating those distractions outside of the building,” Patrick concluded.
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