Harrison Butker, the kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, has compared himself to a saint in an attempt to retract his “misogynistic” statement that women are happiest when they are “homemakers.”

Last Saturday, the 28-year-old spoke for 20 minutes at the Kansas Catholic private liberal arts college.

He advocated for men to “fight against the cultural emasculation” and for women to stay at home and take care of the family rather than work.

He intensified his statements on Friday night at a Regina Caeli Academy event in Nashville, Tennessee, where he made a comparison to Saint Daniel.

“My beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe over the past few days,” he said to the gathering.

Harrison Butker says he won’t ever apologize for being a devout conservative Christian in response to criticism of his widely shared commencement speech.tweet.com/X3SC1vUN6d

He continued his comments on Friday night, comparing himself to Saint Daniel in an address at the Regina Caeli Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Many people expressed a shocking level of hate at the outset,” he went on. But as the days passed, even many who didn’t agree with me came to accept my right to practice my religion.

It is to be expected that my divisive nature has increased with the amount of time I spend discussing my Catholic faith, which is what I value most.

The kicker continued by saying that he did not “regret at all” his choice and that he was attempting to serve Jesus Christ rather than other people.

He went on, “When I consider the courage that so many saints have exhibited throughout their lives, I can’t help but shudder.” If the consequence was what Daniel experienced when he was given to the lions, would I be as audacious?

In actuality, any bravery I display will cause some minor hardship and make some people dislike me forever.

It all seems less terrible if I am often reminded of the sufferings the saints endured, particularly the martyrs and their persecution.

“Because if heaven is our destination, we ought to accept our cross, no matter how big or small, and live joyfully in order to boldly testify for Christ.”

In addition, he expressed his humility at the outpouring of support for his statements.

Butker, a married father of two who is an outspoken Catholic, has drawn a lot of criticism for remarks he made last week.

With the Chiefs, Butker has won three Super Bowls since joining the team in 2017.

Men are urged by Chiefs kicker to “fight against emasculation” at graduation.

His life ‘really started when she started following her vocation as a wife and as a mother’, he continued, after his high school sweetheart and current wife Isabelle converted to Catholicism.

In the wake of Butker’s contentious speech, a petition calling for his release from the Chiefs and NFL has gained significant traction.

More than 220,000 individuals have signed the petition to sever his seven-year relationship with the Chiefs as of Saturday morning.

Earlier this week, Travis Kelce spoke out in support of Butker despite stating that he nearly fully disagreed with his views.

“I have known him for a good many years.” He is a teammate that I treasure. He remarked, “I think Pat (Mahomes, the quarterback for the Chiefs) said it best when he said that he is a great teammate and a great person.”

I have introduced him to other family members, and he has shown them nothing but compassion and respect. And he handles everyone in the same way.

“Those are his opinions and what he stated in his commencement speech at Saint Benedict’s,”Apart from his love for his family and his children, I can’t say I agree with most of it or even any of it.

And since that’s just not who I am, I don’t think I should criticize someone based on how they live their life, particularly their religious beliefs.

The Kelce siblings speak during Harrison Butker’s commencement address

Following their victory over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game at Arrowhead Stadium on January 19, 2020, Butker, his wife Isabelle, and their kid celebrate on the field.

“I love Cleveland Heights for what it was because I grew up in a beautiful upbringing of different social classes, different religions, different races, and ethnicities there.”

It gave me a wide range of perspectives on many different facets of life. I had respect for each and every one of those individuals for various reasons, and I never once felt compelled to make assumptions about them based solely on their beliefs.

Both my parents made the home what it was and supported my family via their contributions to it. They were providers as well as homemakers. And they showed me how amazing it was to have them in my life every day.

“I believe I had a wonderful upbringing during that time.” Even while I don’t think everyone should parent in the same way as my parents did, I still like and am grateful to them for being able to provide for my family and make our home what it was.

“Without the two of them being who they were in my life, I am not the same person.”

Jason Kelce also expressed his disagreement with Butker, but he took issue with the intensity of the criticism.

Butker, a seventh-round selection out of Georgia Tech in 2017, has emerged as one of the NFL’s top kickers, shattering the Chiefs’ team record in 2022 with a 62-yard field goal.

In addition to winning a second Lombardi Trophy in 2023, he assisted them in winning their first Super Bowl in fifty years in 2020. In February, he also kicked the field goal that forced overtime in their Super Bowl victory over San Francisco.