Patrick Mahomes chimes in on Harrison Butker controversy and how he feels now about his Chiefs teammate

Mahomes has discussed the controversy

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker gave a commencement address at a small Catholic school in Kansas — and it has replaced Rashee Rice‘s legal woes as the top story dominating Chiefs Kingdom this offseason. As the Chiefs begin preparations for a third consecutive Super Bowl defense, head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes — two of the team’s leaders — want to minimize distractions and keep everyone focused on getting ready for the 2024 season.

Reid and Mahomes have both now spoken about Butker, whose misogynistic and sexist commencement speech at Benedictine College has drawn outrage from inside and outside the world of sports. Reid made it clear that he is standing by the embattled Butker, many were interested in what Mahomes had to say about the kicker with whom he has spent his entire career.

Mahomes disagrees with Butker

Mahomes addressed the media on Wednesday, his first appearance in front of reporters since Butker’s controversial “homemaker” comments on May 11. Mahomes and Butker have been teammates since 2017, when both players entered the NFL — and the Chiefs’ three-time Super Bowl MVP at quarterback tried to be as measured as possible when addressing the controversy around the deadly-accurate kicker.

“I judge him by the character that he shows every single day, and that’s a good person as someone who cares about the people around him, cares about his family, wants to make a good impact in society.” Mahomes said about Butker.

However, Mahomes also made it clear that while he values Butker as a teammate and as a person, he fundamentally disagrees with the assessment that women belong at home and not so much in the workplace.

“We’re not always going to agree,” Mahomes explained. “He said certain things I don’t agree with.”

As the father of two small children and the husband of an entrepreneur in Brittany Mahomes, Patrick tried to toe the line between a full-throated defense of Butker and dismissal of the controversy around him. It remains to be seen whether his comments put out the fire or merely serve to re-ignite it.