NEW YORK — The NFL is distancing itself from Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, saying “his views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”
Butker appeared as the commencement speaker last week at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Kansas, and said most of the women receiving degrees were probably more excited about getting married and having children.
Butker also said some Catholic leaders 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.”
The three-time Super Bowl champion delivered his roughly 20-minute address Saturday at the school in Atchison, Kansas, which is located about 60 miles north of Kansas City. He received a standing ovation from graduates and other attendees.
Butker, who’s made his conservative Catholic beliefs well known, also assailed Pride month, a particularly important time for the LGBTQ+ rights movement, and President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion.
“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” Butker added in his speech.
“Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, 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 started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,” he said.
SCHEDULE: Creating the NFL schedule is a complicated process that requires tens of thousands of computers coming up with countless possibilities over a process that lasts about four months.
There are several sometimes competing factors at play from keeping all of the television partners happy, to competitive balance for teams to stadium availability.
One variable that wasn’t considered, despite some wild internet conjecture, was making sure Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs had a game scheduled close in location to one of the tour spots for Taylor Swift.
“I saw a lot of conspiracy theorists talking about Kansas City at Buffalo middle of the season, right when Taylor’s playing Toronto,” Mike North, the NFL’s vice president for broadcast planning, said. “That one definitely did not hit our radar screen.”
VIKINGS: The Minnesota Vikings signed Robert Tonyan as they added depth at tight end as T.J. Hockenson recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Minnesota made room for Tonyan on the roster by waiving undrafted rookie free-agent linebacker Donovan Manuel.
Tonyan, 30, caught 11 passes for 112 yards with the Chicago Bears last season after playing for the Green Bay Packers from 2018-22.
RETIREMENT: Michael Brockers, a 2012 first-round draft pick who played on the defensive line for two NFL teams over 11 seasons, is retiring from football.
The 33-year-old Brockers, who didn’t play in 2023, made the announcement on Instagram.
The Rams took Brockers out of LSU with the No. 14 overall pick in 2012, and he played alongside Aaron Donald for most of his nine seasons with the team. He was traded to the Detroit Lions in 2021 and released in February 2023.
BILLS: The Buffalo Bills addressed their depth at safety by signing Dee Delaney to a one-year contract.
The 29-year-old Delaney has five seasons of NFL experience, including the past three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he had five starts in 49 appearances. An undrafted free agent out of The Citadel, he broke into the NFL playing two games with Jacksonville in 2018, and spent the next season appearing in one game with Washington.

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