Harrison Butker

Early life

Butker was born on July 14, 1995, to Harrison Butker Sr. and Elizabeth Keller Butker, and was raised in Decatur, Georgia. He has an older sister. Butker's maternal grandfather, James W. Keller, held faculty positions in oncology at Emory University for 28 years. His mother, Elizabeth Keller Butker, has been a clinical medical physicist at Emory since 1988.

Butker went to The Westminster Schools, where he played on the football team after picking up the sport as a sophomore. Butker broke the school record (at the time) for a field goal of 53 yards. He was a three-sport athlete in basketball, football, and soccer, winning three state championships in soccer. Butker was also a tuba player for the school's symphonic band.

College career

Before pursuing football, Butker played soccer at Georgia Tech.

Butker played at Georgia Tech from 2013 through 2016 under head coach Paul Johnson. Butker is the all-time leading scorer in school history and was a captain of the team for his senior season. In his collegiate career, Butker converted 208-of-210 extra point attempts and 43-of-60 field goal attempts. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering.

Personal life

Butker is married with three children. He is the co-founder, president, and chief operating officer of MDKeller. One of the companies that Butker co-founded as a subsidiary of MDKeller is Shepherd's, which specializes in custom menswear.

Religious beliefs

Butker is a devout Traditionalist Catholic. Butker has publicly spoken out against Traditionis custodes, saying that he felt that he and other traditionalist Catholics were "persecuted" in the Church.

Comments about Jews

In May 2024, Butker gave a commencement address at Benedictine College. The speech was met by applause and a standing ovation from the audience. Among other topics, he criticized a provision of a bill condemning antisemitism as overly broad. Butker said, "We fear speaking truth, because now, unfortunately, truth is in the minority. Congress just passed a bill where stating something as basic as the biblical teaching of who killed Jesus could land you in jail." Dave Zirin of The Nation condemned Butker's comments as antisemitic. Yvette Walker of the Kansas City Star also criticized Butker's speech.

Comments about women in the workforce

Butker was the commencement speaker at his alma mater, Georgia Tech, in 2023. Butker received widespread attention for his exhortation to "get married and start a family." During Butker's 2024 address at Benedictine College, he said:

I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you. 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...I'm on the stage today and able to be the man I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation...and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker. 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.

Several articles highlighted that Butker's mother, Elizabeth Keller Butker, has been a clinical medical physicist at Emory University and holds two university degrees. His speech, which included other personal and political opinions, was met with controversy. On May 15, 2024, in response to Butker's comments and the ensuant backlash, NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane told People in a written statement: "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." Outsports wrote, "One of the worst parts of this NFL player's awful speech is that he quoted a Taylor Swift song before telling women they should be homemakers and serve their man's career." On his New Heights podcast, Travis Kelce said that he did not agree with "just about any" of Butker's views but did "cherish" him as a teammate.

Others were supportive of Butker's remarks. Hunter Estes, communications director for Mississippi governor Tate Reeves, tweeted a portion of Butker's message, "Be unapologetic in your masculinity. Fight against the cultural emasculation of men. Do hard things. Never settle for what is easy", and added, "This is indeed a brave and rebellious message for our current age. The world needs more good men like Harrison Butker." Tavia Hunt, the director of the Kansas City Chiefs Women's Organization and wife of Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt, wrote on Instagram, "Affirming motherhood and praising your wife, as well as highlighting the sacrifice and dedication it takes to be a mother, is not bigoted. It is empowering to acknowledge that a woman's hard work in raising children is not in vain."

Anti-abortion advocacy

Butker supported the failed 2022 Kansas Value Them Both Amendment, which would have overridden a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court ruling that the Kansas constitution guarantees the right to abortion. In 2023, Butker wore an anti-abortion tie while attending the Chiefs' Super Bowl LVII victory celebration at The White House in protest of President Joe Biden's pro-choice views.

Anti-LGBTQ comments

In a March 2024 interview with the Catholic News Agency, Butker condemned the Catholic Church for burying the recently deceased transgender rights advocate Cecilia Gentili. In his 2024 commencement speech to Benedictine College, while advocating for a more conservative form of Catholicism, he called Pride Month an example of the "deadly sins". Former Kansas City commissioner Justice Horn criticized Butker, writing that he "doesn't represent Kansas City nor has he ever. Kansas City has always been a place that welcomes, affirms and embraces our LGBTQ+ community members."

Political beliefs

Butker's 2024 address to the graduating class of Benedictine College covered a number of his political beliefs. In the speech, Butker condemned President Biden's stance on abortion. He also attacked Biden's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, IVF, surrogacy, the LGBTQ community and Pride Month, women in the workforce, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a bill condemning antisemitism.

On October 11, 2024, Butker endorsed former president Donald Trump for the 2024 United States presidential election. He cited Trump's anti-abortion record as his reason for endorsing him. Butker is a member of the Trump-appointed President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.