Harrison Butker in uniform. Michelle Beadle posing in red sweater.Harrison Butker and Michelle Beadle (Photos via Getty Images)


Harrison Butker’s speech at a college has provoked debate, ire, and controversy, and now, a former ESPN host is speaking out against him.

Kicker Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs delivered the commencement speech to Benedictine College alumni on May 11, and nothing but backlash has followed him ever since.

He stated that Pride Month was a “deadly sin,” denounced abortion rights, and told women they had been given “the most diabolical lies” during his lecture to a private Catholic liberal arts institution in Kansas.

The Kansas City Chiefs kicker told women during his sexist commencement speech last weekend that their “most important title” should be “homemaker.”

“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? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world,” Butker said. “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.”

“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and a mother. … I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me, but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”

During his controversial speech, Harrison Butker made anti-LGBTQ comments about “dangerous gender ideologies” and President Joe Biden’s “bad policies and poor leadership.”

Since Butker’s speech, his remarks have been the subject of intense discussion. Sports analyst Michelle Beadle is offering her perspective.

During an episode of her podcast “Over the Top” with Peter Rosenberg, Beadle did not hold back when giving her opinion of Butker and what he said.

“As a woman, I think everything he said was garbage,” Beadle began. “But I think the fact that there were women in that audience who were not okay, what the hell, dude?”


Beadle expressed her offendedness by Butker’s statement to recent college graduates that their worth will lie more in their ability to support a family or a marriage than in their professional accomplishments.

“Go [expletive] yourself,” Beadle said. “And by the way, it’s also my freedom of speech to say go [expletive] yourself.”

NFL Distances Itself From Chiefs Kicker Harrison Butker’s Comments During Commencement Speech

Harrison Butker (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The NFL wasted little time distancing itself from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, saying “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”

Speaking at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts college in Kansas, last week as the commencement speaker, Butker suggested that the majority of the women receiving degrees were likely more eager to get married and start a family.

Additionally, Butker claimed that some Catholic officials were “pushing dangerous gender ideologies onto the youth of America.”

“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” Jonathan Beane, NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, said in a statement released Thursday. “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.”