Why Harrison Butker Continues to Inspire

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A mob of feminists tried to cancel Harrison Butker for speaking highly of wives and mothers, but three months later, his excellence, his mental toughness, and his defiant refusal to apologize for his beliefs have helped him not only weather the controversy but become the highest paid kicker in the NFL.

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Following his commencement speech at Benedictine College in May, Harrison Butker became the target of feminist and left-wing ire due to his supposed “sexist” and “homophobic” comments. Petitions were started demanding that the Kansas City Chiefs cut their star kicker for daring to have a different worldview than that of the signatories.

One of those petitions received over 239,000 signatures.

Butker kindled the rage of politicians, activists, Hollywood elites, social media influencers, and professional athletes.

Tennis legend Serena Williams and actress Quinta Brunson took their opportunity at the sports awards ceremony the ESPYS to bash Butker.

If you’re one of those people who hate Butker, you might want to stop reading because I’ve got some bad news for you.

Harrison Butker isn’t going anywhere.

This week the Chiefs signed him to a four-year, $25.6 million contract, with $17.8 million of that money guaranteed, making Butker the highest paid kicker in the NFL.

The news drew a comment from former ESPN personality Trey Wingo that has created a social media buzz. Wingo posted on X,

“The Harrison Butker extension… making him the highest paid kicker….underscores the inherent truth of the NFL: the better you are at the job the more a team is willing to put up with pure and simple.”

Now I want to be charitable, so there’s a few different ways you can take Wingo’s comments. Wingo could have meant the media backlash and outrage from feminists when he said, “put up with”. Or he could have meant that some of the NFL and leadership of the Chiefs may not like his comments  but they put up with it because he’s that good.

And let’s be clear, Harrison Butker really is that good. Butker has made 89.1 percent of his field goal attempts in his entire NFL career, making him second all-time to Baltimore Ravens’ kicker Justin Tucker. But that latter rank could change. Last season, Tucker made 86.5 percent of his field goals attempts; Butker made 94.3 percent.

Butker is also really clutch. Next to legendary postseason kicker Adam Vinatieri, Butker may be the most clutch kicker in NFL history. He ranks fourth all-time in post season field goals. He may be even more clutch than Vinatieri who rose to stardom following his postseason performance during the 2001-2002 season ending with his game-winning field goal for the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Butker’s playoff exploits are the stuff of legend. In the 2022-2023 postseason, he kicked the game-winning field goal in the AFC Championship game and the Super Bowl. Last season Butker made all 11 of his field goal attempts in the playoffs, including a 57-yard field goal in the Super Bowl, the longest in the storied game’s history.

He also made the game-tying field goal at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.

Seasons often come down not only to the skill, but the nerves of a kicker. While real-life supermen battle it out on the gridiron for hours, week after week, championships are often won or lost on whether or not the guy who looks like an accountant can block out the pressure and kick a ball through the uprights.

If they miss, entire careers of excellence can be forgotten.

Butker has proven he is one of the very few who is not only good enough but mentally tough enough to come through when the years of hard work, the dreams of players and fans, and all the pressure is on.

So absolutely Butker’s contract shows that if you are good enough, no screaming feminist is going to make a team cut you.

Yet there’s another way to take Wingo’s post, and that hinges on that little phrase “put up with”.

That makes it sound like Butker did something wrong. It is also odd that Wingo chose Butker to make this point when there have been so many greater examples of teams who put winning above everything else.

Let’s take for example a few current and former Chiefs players.

There’s Tyreek Hill, the famously fast wide receiver who rose to stardom with the Chiefs and now plays for the Miami Dolphins.

Hill began his college career at Oklahoma State but was soon dismissed from the team following a brutal domestic violence charge. Hill’s girlfriend Crytal Espinal, who was eight weeks pregnant with Hill’s son, told police that an argument escalated to an assault in which Hill choked Espinal and punched her in the stomach and face.

Hill received a plea agreement. That didn’t bother NFL scouts or coaches. After one year at West Alabama University, Hill was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs due to his blazing 4.25 second time in the 40-yard dash.

He soon became a star in the NFL and a favorite of fans around the league.

The trouble didn’t stop there, however.

Before the 2019 season an investigation found that Hill and Espinal’s 3-year-old child had been abused, leaving his arm broken. Investigators were unable to determine who did what to the child.

On a recording, Espinal told Hill, “He’s terrified of you” referring to their son.

Hill replied, “You need to be terrified of me, too, dumb [expletive].”

The NFL did nothing.

After joining the Dolphins, Hill has faced other accusations of assault, including in a lawsuit filed by a woman who claimed he broke her leg. Despite this, Miami officials just restructured Hill’s contract to grant him $90 million over the next three seasons, including $65 million guaranteed.

Meanwhile the Chiefs’ current wide receiver is also showing what teams will “put up with”.

Rashee Rice has been charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious injury, and six counts of a collision involving injury after driving his Lamborghini 119 miles per hour before crashing it into other cars.

The Chiefs did cut offensive lineman Isaiah Buggs earlier this summer after numerous arrests, including for domestic violence and animal cruelty, but let’s be honest: Buggs wasn’t all that good “at the job,” having been demoted earlier this year from a starting player for the Lions to a practice squad member for the Chiefs.

Buggs aside, the NFL has been much maligned for the number of violent crimes players commit, often with little consequence.

In fact, it’s a familiar theme. Check out the list of arrests here.

Some say it’s the nature of the sport in which alpha males have “toxic masculinity” rewarded and celebrated, leading to violent outbursts and terrible treatment of women. For the record, I think that’s absurd, but there’s no denying there is a major violence problem among NFL players over the decades.

Take Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson.  He settled 20 of 24 lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault. Keep in mind, two grand juries each declined to indict Watson on criminal charges. Watson denies that he sexually assaulted anyone.

Yet it seems clear: There is at least a pattern of behavior that is less than respectful of women.

Watson currently has a five-year $230 million contract and will be paid $46 million this season.

Meanwhile, Butker’s supposed crime is delivering a speech in which he teared up over how much he loved his wife, referred to her as a beautiful gift, and celebrated her as his wife and the mother of his children. He also praised the high calling of motherhood and homemaking, which C.S. Lewis described as “the most important work in the world.”

So I don’t think Butker’s contract shows what NFL teams will “put up with.”

What it does show is that Butker’s excellence and his refusal to back down from his comments have helped him weather the controversy.

While most people in the public eye, including athletes, quickly bow to the pressure and apologize for their wrongthink, Butker has been defiant in his refusal to cave.

He has continued to stand on his beliefs and reiterates that his comments were “from a place of love.”

Butker and the Chiefs didn’t allow cancel culture to stop him. Now he’s the highest paid kicker in the NFL and beloved by those who share his values.

His story and his response should be an example for all of us.

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PHOTO CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot

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