NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked his thoughts on Harrison Butker’s polarizing commencement speech.

The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.

In addition to calling Pride Month a “deadly sin” and bemoaning diversity and equity initiatives, Butker set off waves of criticism when he suggested that women find more fulfillment through getting married and having children than by pursuing careers – directly after quoting a song by Taylor Swift.

The backlash has been building since Butker made the comments Saturday in an address to graduates at Benedictine College, a small Catholic school in Atchison, Kansas.

The NFL issued a statement Wednesday, saying Butker’s comments don’t reflect the views of the league.

“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization,” said Senior Vice President Jonathan Beane, the league’s chief diversity and inclusion officer. “The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”

GLAAD also issued a statement calling Butker’s speech “a clear miss” and “woefully out of step with Americans about Pride, LGBTQ people and women.”

The Chiefs, defending Super Bowl champions and one of the NFL’s marquee teams, have not responded to requests for comment.

However, plenty of women (and Taylor Swift fans) have made their feelings plainly known, including the sisters of Mount St. Scholastica monastery, a founding institution and sponsor of Benedictine College.

“The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butker’s comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested,” they said in a statement. “Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division.”

Such pushback could keep Butker’s social media feeds clogged with criticism for the foreseeable future. It also could be an optical problem for the NFL and the Chiefs, who have both enjoyed increased support from female fans in the past year.

What Butker said about women — and Taylor Swift
In front of the crowd of about 485 male and female graduates, Butker suggested that a woman’s accomplishments in the home are more valuable than any academic or professional goals.

“I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” he said.

“How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? 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 also praised his wife Isabelle, saying she “would be the first to say her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”

Judging from the hundreds upon hundreds of critical comments on Butker’s Instagram posts and about him on X and TikTok, his remarks did not sit well with many people.