Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes on Harrison Butker's Controversial Speech

Capping off week one of OTAs, two pillars of the Chiefs organization weighed in on Butker's recent commencement speech and its gravity.

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs place kicker Harrison Butker (7) kicks a field goal against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Thus far in the 2024 NFL offseason, a couple of Kansas City Chiefs players have made headlines for reasons far different than their play on the field. Wide receiver Rashee Rice and kicker Harrison Butker, in particular, have been recent subjects of discussion locally and nationally.

Butker is the latest one to get put under a microscope, as he made a commencement speech at Benedictine College's graduation that took the internet by storm. An order of nuns affiliated with the school has since expressed that they "do not believe" Butker's comments represent the school. The veteran kicker addressed a multitude of subjects, with some of his tidbits directed toward women causing quite a bit of controversy.

Regardless of which side of the coin folks land on, it's safe to say Butker is drawing plenty of attention to himself this month. Despite that, head coach Andy Reid doesn't feel the need to have a talk with his special teams ace about the impact of his messaging.

Speaking at the conclusion of the Chiefs' first OTA session of the summer, Reid weighed in on the Butker situation for the first time.

"Yeah, listen, I talk to Harrison all the time," Reid said. "I didn't talk to him about this — I didn't think we need to. We're a microcosm of life here. Everybody's from different areas, different religions, different races and we all get along, we all respect each other's opinions. Not necessarily do we go by those, but we respect everybody to have a voice. It's the great thing about America, man. We're just, like I said, a microcosm of that. My wish is that everybody could kind of follow that."

When asked about anyone potentially approaching him with concerns about the women-specific components of Butker's speech, Reid said it hasn't happened yet. The longtime head coach indicated that his players are "good" with things right now, which reflects a locker room that isn't divided amid something that was bound to spark disagreements.

Those disagreements start at the top. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, speaking to the media following Reid, admitted that he didn't fall in line with some of the things Butker said. He didn't go into specifics, but the two-time NFL MVP winner made it clear that such disconnects are natural in his field.

Mahomes chooses to take Butker's character at face value which, to him, is the man he's worked with dating back to 2017 when they both came to Kansas City.

"I know Harrison," Mahomes said. "I've known him for seven years. I judge him by the character he shows every single day, and that's a good person. That's someone who cares about the people around him, cares about his family and wants to make a good impact in society. When you're in the locker room, there are a lot of people from a lot of different areas of life. They have a lot of different views on everything, and we're not always going to agree.

"There are certain things he said that I don't necessarily agree with, but I understand the person he is. He's trying to do everything he can to lead people in the right direction and that might not be the same values as I have but at the same time, I'm going to judge him by the character he shows every single day that's a great person. We'll continue to move along and try to help build each other up to make ourselves better every single day but at the end of the day, we're going to come together as a team and I think that'll help out [in] eliminating those distractions outside the building as well."

This likely won't be the last time Butker's speech is mentioned in Chiefs circles. Its reach is significant in the aftermath of Benedictine's graduation ceremony, and debates centered around it continue nearly two weeks later. But the team, boasting a tight-knit group, is focused on controlling what goes on inside the facility.

For better or worse, Reid and Mahomes made that clear on Wednesday.

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