100K Sign Petition Demanding Chiefs Fire Kicker Over ‘Dehumanizing’ Commencement Speech
A petition calling for the Kansas City Chiefs to dismiss kicker Harrison Butker has racked up over 100,000 signatures as of Thursday morning amid a furious backlash to a controversial commencement address he delivered at a Catholic college over the weekend.
The three-time Super Bowl champion spoke for around 20 minutes Saturday at Benedictine College, a conservative liberal arts school in Kansas, sharing his views on gender, COVID, abortion, and other topics. He reportedly received a standing ovation from his audience, but others, including the NFL, were much less enthusiastic about his comments.
“The harmful remarks made by Harrison Butker, kicker of the Kansas City Chiefs, during his commencement address at Benedictine College were unacceptable,” reads the Change.org petition calling for the Chiefs to fire Butker. “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.”