Chiefs Star Chris Jones Shows Support to Harrison Butker Amid Backlash, Petition Over Speech

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones has his teammate Harrison Butker’s back.

“I love you @buttkicker7 ! My brotha ??,” Jones, 29, tweeted on Thursday, May 16, in response to a petition calling for Butker’s release from the Chiefs.

Butker, 28, is facing backlash over his questionable remarks about women during a graduation speech on Saturday, May 11.

During his commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, the Chiefs kicker directly addressed the women graduates who he said “have had the most diabolical lies told to you.”

All the Fallout From Kansas City Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker’s Controversial Graduation Speech

“How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career?” said Butker. “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.”

Butker went on to praise his wife, Isabelle Butker, saying she would be “the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother” and added that “homemaker” is “one of the most important titles of all.”

Butker also compared the LGBTQ+ community’s Pride Month to “deadly sins,” and said that men “set the tone of society, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction and chaos set in.”

Butker’s speech has drawn fierce criticism from various celebrities and on social media. A Change.org petition calling for the Kansas City Chiefs to dismiss the kicker has reached over 169,000 signatures as of Friday, May 17.

“His comments were sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-abortion and racist. These dehumanizing remarks against LGBTQ+ individuals, attacks on abortion rights and racial discrimination perpetuate division and undermine human rights,” reads the petition.

“These comments reinforce harmful stereotypes that threaten social progress. They create a toxic environment that hinders our collective efforts towards equality, diversity and inclusion in society. It is unacceptable for such a public figure to use their platform to foster harm rather than unity,” the petition continues.

Harrison Butker’s Family Guide: Meet the Kansas City Chiefs Kicker’s Parents, Wife, More

The NFL’s Chief Diversity Officer, Jonathan Beane, released a statement sharing that the organization did not agree with Butker’s remarks.

“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Beane said on Wednesday, May 15. “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”