Harrison Butker responds after Serena Williams mocks him during 2024 ESPY Awards

Stay Ahead With Our Weekly Guide On Trends, Fashion & More

"Stay Ahead With Our Weekly Trend Guide For Fashion, Relationships And More"

I want to receive emails about promotions, events, and news from The Independent. You can review our privacy policy to learn more.

NFL kicker Harrison Butker has responded after Serena Williams made fun of his controversial opinions during the 2024 ESPY Awards.

The 28-year-old NFL player found himself the subject of jokes when the 42-year-old tennis champ hosted ESPN's yearly awards ceremony on July 11. Williams, along with her older sister Venus and Abbott Elementary actor Quinta Brunson, used the spotlight to recognize female athletes in the United States.

Venus encouraged everyone to appreciate women's sports just like any other sports, emphasizing that they are all at the end of the day sports. Her sister chimed in and humorously mentioned that except for Harrison Butker, they can do without him.

Brunson concurred with the two athletes' opinions about Butker, adding: "Absolutely. I agree completely."

The audience at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles cheered when someone criticized Butker for his traditional views about women. The Kansas City Chiefs kicker was also at the event, but his response was not shown on television.

The soccer player has given a response to the popular ESPY moment in a statement to NBC Sports.

“I believe Mrs. Williams was an excellent host and commend her for sharing her personal views on a range of subjects,” Butker said to the publication on July 12.

Games should bring people together, but instead of including everyone at a diverse event celebrating athletes' achievements, she chose to exclude those she doesn't agree with.

Butker faced a lot of criticism in May after he gave a graduation speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas that many people found controversial. In his speech, he spoke out against President Joe Biden's religious beliefs, spoke negatively about LGBTQ+ Pride month, and suggested that women should focus more on being mothers than on their careers.

In a recent speech to the women graduating from Benedictine College's class of 2024, Butker argued that they had been misled about their societal roles. He advised the graduates not to focus on their careers and shared his own story as an example, highlighting how his family thrived when his wife stayed at home.

He said that her true journey began when she embraced her role as a wife and a mother.

The popular Chiefs player also spoke to the audience of students and mentioned that practices like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, and changing cultural norms are all results of a widespread state of chaos. He accused Biden of encouraging the decline of these traditional values by suggesting that it is possible to be Catholic and support abortion rights at the same time.

The beginning speech received a lot of negative feedback online, causing Butker's fellow players like Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to speak up.

In a recent episode of Kelce's podcast, he and his brother Jason discussed Butker's speech. Kelce, who is 34 years old, mentioned that he didn't necessarily agree with what Butker said, but he made it clear that he wouldn't judge his friend based on his religious beliefs.

Kelce stated that he disagrees with most of the person's beliefs, except for the fact that they love their family and kids. He believes it is not right to judge someone based on their religious beliefs or how they live their life.

A representative from the NFL informed People magazine that Butker's opinions do not represent the views of the NFL as a whole.

Not long after his speech caused debate, Butker reaffirmed his statements at a fancy event hosted by a Catholic homeschool group, the Regina Caeli Academy, of which he serves on the board.

At the event on May 24th, Butker mentioned that the theme for tonight's gala, Courage Under Fire, was chosen months ago. But now, it seems like fate that this would be the theme after what we have seen in the past two weeks. He said that it is now obvious that the cherished Catholic values are despised by many.