Harrison Butker is stepping out with wife Isabelle Butker nearly one month after his commencement speech scandal.
The NFL player, 28, walked the red carpet with his wife, 28, at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl ring ceremony on Thursday, June 13. Harrison was dressed in a greige two-piece suit with a white lapel and matching stripe on the legs of his pants, rounding out his look with a crisp white shirt, black bow tie and two Super Bowl championship rings from the Chiefs’ wins in 2020 and 2023.
For her big night out, Isabelle, opted for a gray maxi wrap dress, which featured long sleeves and ruffles. She kept her glam simple, wearing her dark locks parted to the side and pinned out of her face, adding statement earrings for an extra hint of glam.
The couple’s outing comes after Harrison received major backlash for his controversial remarks made during his graduation speech at Benedictine College in May. During his address, he singled out 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.”
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“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.”
Referring to his wife — who has since been removed from his Instagram — 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.”
Social media users, celebrities and even Harrison’s teammates reacted to his speech, in which he also slammed LGBTQIA+ rights, IVF and surrogacy as family planning methods. Additionally, he quoted outspoken feminist Taylor Swift, referring to her only as “my teammate’s girlfriend.” (Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and the 14-time Grammy Award winner, 34, have been dating since summer 2023.)
“He’s treated friends and family that I’ve introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness and that’s how he treats everyone,” Kelce, 34, said while addressing Harrison’s comments on his and brother Jason Kelce‘s “New Heights” podcast in May.
He continued, “When it comes down to his views and what he said at the [Benedictine College] commencement speech, you know, those are his [views]. I can’t say I agree with the majority of it — or just about any of it — outside of just him loving his family or his kids. I don’t think I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views of how he goes about life.”
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That month, Harrison broke his silence on the matter during the Regina Caeli Academy Courage Under Fire Gala, in which he doubled down on his beliefs and stood by his statements.
“It is now, over the past few days, my beliefs or what people think I believe have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe,” he said. “At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate. But as the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion.”
He added, “It’s a decision I’ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all.”
