A.G. Gancarski
National politicians rarely rush to comment on NFL kickers, but Harrison Butker’s recent Benedictine College graduation speech and its calls for Catholic traditionalism earned an attaboy from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
“Butker critics are liars,” Florida’s senior Senator posted to X.
“He NEVER told women to stay home & have babies,” Rubio continued. “What he actually said is an important truth that applies to BOTH men and women. That no matter what we achieve in professional careers, our VOCATION as a husband/wife & father/mother is the most important, impactful & fulfilling role any of us will ever have.”
During the speech this week, Butker said that his wife’s “dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you asked her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud, without hesitation, and say, ‘Heck, No.'”
Butker’s critics include the NFL, which distanced itself from the kicker’s comments.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization,” said Senior Vice President Jonathan Beane, the league’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, to CNN. “The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
CNN notes that Butker, who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, even committed the cardinal sin of invoking tight end Travis Kelce’s significant other Taylor Swift in his critiques of Catholic priests.
“As my teammate’s girlfriend says: ‘Familiarity breeds contempt,’” he said, quoting one of the pop singer’s lines.
Beyond that, though, Butker’s comments offered a portal into a staunchly Catholic, anti-secularist and pro-natalist viewpoint, with defenses of the Latin Mass and attacks on wavering priests and bishops, and attacks on homosexuality.
He urged differentiation between “the deadly sin sort of pride that has an entire month dedicated to it” and “the true God-centered pride that is cooperating with the Holy Ghost to glorify him.”
He questioned recreational sex, saying “there is nothing good about playing God with having children — whether that be your ideal number or the perfect time to conceive. No matter how you spin it, there is nothing natural about Catholic birth control.”
The Senator’s high-level defense of Butker elided those controversial statements, however.
24 comments
Joe
May 17, 2024 at 11:34 am
Lil Marco continues to be a pathetic shell of his pre-Trump self. Sad!
MH/Duuuval
May 19, 2024 at 10:33 am
Rubio on Face the Nation today: Yadda, yadda, yadda — without visibly taking a breath. (His mama would slap him for being so rude.)
ScienceBLVR
May 17, 2024 at 11:46 am
As I’ve stated many times and firmly believe, all religion is a man made construct, created to control behavior and mindlessly numb our pain. Opiate of the masses, you bet. But as a side hustle, Butkers right, religion’s purpose is to control women. The wicked Eve’s daughters shall be faithful and obedient or pillar of salt for all of thy gender…
Nope, not buying it.. Marco is daft.
Dont Say FLA
May 17, 2024 at 11:47 am
Little Marco is absolutely right that parenting is very important.
‘Cause when you don’t do parenting, you end up with a Donald J Trump.
Richard D
May 17, 2024 at 12:56 pm
Butker’s comments are based on the principle that the American family is the basic unit of consumption. Households consume products and they (heterosexual households) produce new workers for the economy. He warns against problems that can weaken a household and thus the economy, such as divorce, homosexuality or abortion. Homosexuals usually don’t produce new workers, and abortions eliminate potential new workers, so he sees these as unacceptable.
Dont Say FLA
May 17, 2024 at 2:11 pm
And let’s execute childless M-F couples over the age of 45 while we’re at it since they’ve proven to be as useless as gay couples, right?
My Take
May 17, 2024 at 2:38 pm
By the fire and stake.
It’s traditional.
MH/Duuuval
May 18, 2024 at 4:12 pm
And this is where immigrants come into the picture in a welcome way — as they are in many countries today. Otherwise the possibility of population collapse portends diminishing services for the elderly. There’s more to the picture, of course, but as a senior I respect the labor contributions of immigrants and their children who will become good Americans and carry on after I am 6 feet under or whatever.
TD
May 19, 2024 at 10:48 pm
Laken Riley and thousands like her say hi, midwit.
MH/Duuuval
May 20, 2024 at 10:00 am
Please, dumbkopf — we have more than enough native-born killers. What’s your point?
MH/Duuuval
May 20, 2024 at 10:08 am
TD: There are statistics-based studies that demonstrate that the migrant element in the US is less likely to be arrested for crimes than native-born.
Dont Say FLA
May 20, 2024 at 3:28 pm
Immigration is such a non-issue that folks have to conflate actual issues, such as murder, with it to try to get any attention. Sad!
Ron Forrest Ron
May 22, 2024 at 4:28 pm
Illegal invaders killed Ashley Babbit.
Does Ashley say hi too?
Rubio loves men (Buttker)
May 18, 2024 at 9:03 am
Buttker couldn’t have been any more incorrect and misleading, hey let’s trade him to a Florida team and have him run for state office! Fit right in
the devil
May 18, 2024 at 9:16 am
Dont worry about it, PETE, pretty soon here you wont have to wrory about monitoring my statements anymore because i’ll either be 1) dead or 2) in jail.
Not Catholic Men’s wife jail. I’m talking Jail – Jail. Where digital comms with the oustide world aren’t available for use.
Depending on the jurisdiction of my imprisonment, however, I may be able to use traditional mail. I’ve been known to write a mean post card.
Have a great Saturday morning PETE
the devil
May 18, 2024 at 9:18 am
ps
BABIES
Dont Say FLA
May 19, 2024 at 10:44 am
The outrage against this kid and his speech is easy pickings but only when shooting fish in a barrel but saying the fish you shot was in the ocean.
This was a Catholic kid saying Catholic things at a private Catholic school graduation.
If we want to find outrage about what was said, let’s find that outrage within its context. What did he say that people don’t say at EVERY private Catholic school graduation?
Did they kid say anything outside of bounds for a private Catholic context? NOPE
Absent the context, is his speech pretty questionable? Sure! But to question it outside its particular religion context is, as Trump falsely claims on a daily basis about everything that happens to him, “unfair.”
He’s young. He’ll grow up. He’ll learn religion is a fairy tale intended to teach kids how to behave with some reason beyond “just because your should”
MH/Duuuval
May 19, 2024 at 1:06 pm
He was on TV today and is aging fast, getting jowly and receding hairlines. No shame in these but he damn sure ain’t no kid. (Though like many kids, he imagines he knows everything about everything and will talk over you attempting to make his point?)
Dont Say FLA
May 20, 2024 at 3:31 pm
Well maybe he’s just a dumby, then. But if wants to go to graduation at a Catholic school and give a speech saying a bunch of Catholic nonsense, I thank him for choosing an appropriate venue with a receptive audience for his nonsense. And everybody else needs to calm down.
Dont Say Dumby
May 20, 2024 at 3:33 pm
If you spell the word “dumby” correctly in a post, the post is immediately eaten. It doesn’t even go to mod land. It’s just eaten. How silly!
rick whitaker
May 20, 2024 at 10:10 am
i made a comment about buttker the catholic football player. the moderator removed it. i still don’t know why. i made an anti- religious statement about the issue, but it was removed.
Dont Say FLA
May 20, 2024 at 3:35 pm
Did you use the wordy dumby but spelled with an n where i put a b? That word, spelled like M&Ms without a B produces instant vaporization of a post. Not even mod land. Any dumby post is just toast.
Dont Say FLA
May 20, 2024 at 3:37 pm
Oops I meant spelled with an M. Not an N. Dumny probably doesn’t auto-immolate like it would with a 2nd M.
Moody
May 24, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Birds do it all wild life does it lions tigers and bears all tend to their young… Teach them and protect them the best they can.
Comments are closed.