With his Benedictine College commencement speech under intense scrutiny, Harrison Butker’s previous comment about hoping Taylor Swift would “start a family” with his teammate Travis Kelce soon is hitting a bit differently than before.
Following the 2023 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs kicker spoke about Swift and Kelce’s during his EWTN’s “News in Depth” interview. He spoke about meeting the “humble” and “gracious” pop icon at a New Year’s Eve party.
Harrison Butker recalled chatting with Taylor Swift about football. He pointed out that she told him she was impressed that he could “kick the ball so far to the uprights.”
“I was nervous to meet Taylor Swift,” Butker said. “It’s Taylor Swift. But it was a great experience and I can’t say enough great things about her.”
Harrison Butker then spoke about Swift and her relationship with Kelce. The couple started dating last summer and became the talked-about couple during the NFL season. “I hope they get married and start a family,” Butker said.
Although he said he wasn’t a Swiftie, Harrison Butker stated in the interview that his favorite Taylor Swift song was Bejeweled. He noted he was a fan of one lyric, “Familiarity breeds contempt.”
Butker invoked the lyric during his now-dubbed “bigoted” and “misogynistic” commencement speech over the past weekend.
Harrison Butker Invoked One Taylor Swift Lyric During ‘Bigoted’ and ‘Misogynistic’ Commencement Speech
The NFL player began his tirade during the Benedictine College graduation telling the crowd he’s known for speaking his mind.
“Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder,” he continued on. He also pointed out that he believes that Pride Month is part of the “deadly sins.”
Butker directed his attention to the female graduates. He told them despite their education success their “most important title” in life should be “homemaker.”
“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 marriage and the children you will bring into the world,” he shared.
“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
He then told the male graduating students to fight against “cultural emasculation” and to “be unapologetic in your masculinity.”
Butker went on to add, ”As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘Familiarity breeds contempt.’”
Many NFL and non-sports fans have gone on to slam Harrison Butker for his speech. Some have even called him out for using Swift in his speech.
“I dare Harrison Butker to tell Taylor Swift she has no value unless she is a wife, mother, and homemaker,” one critic wrote.
Another added, “Taylor Swift writing half an album after seeing Harrison Butker’s speech,” with a Kermit typing excessively fast gif.