Travis Kelce has responded to his NFL teammate Harrison Butker's controversial speech where he shared his divisive views.
In case you missed it, Butker, 28, delivered a 20-minute address at the Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas, on May 11, which drew significant backlash on social media.
In his speech, Butker blasted "poor leadership" and its impact on major societal issues, targeting the LGBTQ+ community, working women, surrogacy, and abortion rights.
Watch the speech below:
The player, known for his Catholic beliefs, began by referencing the graduates' college journey during the pandemic, but quickly shifted to criticize “dangerous gender ideologies” and various societal issues.
"Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerative cultural values in media all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder," he stated.
Addressing the female graduates, Butker emphasized their "most important title" as homemakers, saying: "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."
Butker plays for the Kansas City Chiefs alongside Travis Kelce, and given that the latter is in a relationship with Taylor Swift who champions inclusivity and empowering women, he felt compelled to speak out.
On his podcast, New Heights, which he hosts alongside his brother Jason Kelce, the NFL star took a measured approach.
"I cherish him as a teammate. I think Pat [Mahomes] said it best where he is every bit of a great person and a great teammate," Kelce began.
He went on: "He’s treated family and family that I’ve introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness. And that’s how he treats everyone.
"When it comes down to his views and what he said at Saint Benedict’s commencement speech, those are his. I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids.
"And I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life, that’s just not who I am."
Kelce elaborated about how his upbringing in Ohio shaped how he views people with different beliefs.
"I grew up in a beautiful upbringing of different social classes, different religions, different races and ethnicities, in Cleveland Heights, and that’s why I love Cleveland Heights for what it was,” he said.
“It showed me a broad spectrum, just a broad view of a lot of different walks of life. And I appreciated every single one of those people for different reasons, and I never once had to feel like I needed to judge them, based off of their beliefs."
Jason Kelce added: "There’s always going to be opinions that everybody shares that you’re going to disagree with."