The City of Kansas City fired an unnamed employee over a tweet involving Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker after his controversial commencement speech went viral earlier this month.
Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, talked about the decision to let the employee go during an appearance on local radio station 95.7FM on Thursday, May 23. (The former employee tweeted, “Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the City of Lee’s Summit,” on May 15 after the NFL player’s commencement address about women needing to become homemakers made waves on social media.)
“The city has separated from the employee who is responsible for the message,” Lucas, 39, said in an audio clip posted via X. “I think that to me, in many ways, resolves the back and forth that’s in the political world. I think there has been accountability from the City of Kansas City. We all look forward to moving on [and] let the Chiefs play.”
While the initial tweet has since been deleted and an apology was written in its place, the mayor previously responded to an X user who questioned why it was deleted in the first place.
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“It was not an appropriate post for the City of Kansas City. It should not have ever been up,” he replied.
The original tweet also caught the attention of Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who wrote via X on May 16, “My office is demanding accountability after @KansasCity doxxed @buttkicker7 last night for daring to express his religious beliefs. I will enforce the Missouri Human Rights Act to ensure Missourians are not targeted for their free exercise of religion.”
It is unclear if Bailey will pursue action against the employee at this time.
Butker’s commencement speech at Benedictine College earlier this month drew outrage from social media users after he singled out the women graduating from the Catholic liberal arts college, infamously alleging that “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?” he said. “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.”
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Mentioning his wife Isabelle Butker, the three-time Super Bowl champ added, “I’m beyond blessed with the many talents God has given me but it cannot be overstated that all of my success is made possible because a girl I met in band class back in middle school would convert to the faith and become my wife and embrace one of the most important titles of all — homemaker.”
Like many social media users, celebrities from all walks of the industry had strong reactions to Butker’s speech.
“Sounds like some players ‘need to stay in their lanes’ and shouldn’t be giving commencement speeches,” rapper Flavor Flav wrote via X.
Referring to a trend where women state whether they would rather encounter a bear or a man alone in the woods, country star Maren Morris added, “I choose the bear.”
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Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also addressed Butker’s comments in a press conference on Wednesday, May 22, coming to his teammate’s defense.
“I’ve known him for seven years. I judge him by the character he shows every single day, and that’s a good person,” Mahomes, 28, said. “That’s someone who cares about the people around him, cares about his family and wants to make a good impact in society.”
Head coach Andy Reid added, “I didn’t talk to him about [the speech]. We’re a microcosm of life here, from different areas, different religions, races and so we all get along and we all respect each other’s opinions. We respect everybody to have a voice, that’s the great thing about America.”
