The mayor of Kansas City apologized Wednesday for a post on X, formerly Twitter, published from the city's official account, that appeared to be critical of Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.
The Context
Butker has come under fire for a commencement speech he gave at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas on May 11.
In the speech, Butker made a number of controversial comments about women, LGBTQ+ individuals and abortion.
Speaking to the crowd he said: "It is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you, how many of you are sitting here now about to cross the stage and thinking about all the promotions and titles you're going to get in your career. 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 children."
He went on to say that his wife's life "truly started when she began living her vocation as wife and mother" and told the audience to "fight against the cultural emasculation of men."
He also said that "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."
Bukter went on to call Joe Biden "delusional" for making the sign of the cross at a pro-choice rally.
The NFL player also said that Pride Month represented "deadly sins."
A representative for the NFL told Newsweek that: "Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. 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."
Newsweek has reached out to the Kansas City Chiefs via email, and a representative for Butker, for comment.
What We Know
The official Kansas City account on X posted the following: "Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the City of Lee's Summit."
Lee's Summit is in Missouri, and users think the post was Kansas City trying to distance itself from Bukter's controversial views.
Shortly after the post went live, Kansas City issued an apology post in which the city said the previous post was "shared by mistake."
Kansas City Mayor Lucas Quinton also apologized, posting that "A message appeared earlier this evening from a City public account. The message is clearly inappropriate for a public account. The City has correctly apologized for this error."
Quinton added that a review of who has access to the city's X account will be carried out to "ensure nothing like it is shared in the future."
The post in question has since been deleted.
Views
Justice Horn, the current Jackson County Plan Commissioner and former Kansas City Commissioner posted on X: "Harrison Butker doesn't represent Kansas City nor has he ever. Kansas City has always been a place that welcomes, affirms and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members."
Some have expressed support for Butker. X user T.J. Moe wrote: "Not a word Harrison Butker says here should be remotely controversial. He's 100% correct. Those trying to convince women that being assistant VP of lending & intentionally childless at age 40 is more fulfilling than making a family and home are evil."
Update, 5/16/24. 9:07 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the NFL.
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Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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