Travis Kelce might not agree with Harrison Butker’s ideologies, but he can respect him as a Kansas City Chiefs teammate.
“I know Harry and I saw him in the building. I call him Harry, I might be the only person who calls him Harry,” Travis, 34, said during the Friday, May 24, episode of his and brother Jason Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast. “That just tells you, I mean, I’ve known him for seven-plus, eight-plus years and I cherish him as a teammate.”
Travis continued, “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. 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.”
Butker, 28, gave the graduation address at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, earlier this month, where he addressed the LGBTQIA+ community, IVF and surrogacy as family planning methods and women giving up careers to serve as stay-at-home wives and mothers. The comments sparked backlash among social media users.
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Travis further reflected on Friday how he and the Chiefs kicker see the world differently.
“I think I grew up in a beautiful upbringing of different social classes, different religions, races and ethnicities in Cleveland Heights — and that’s why I love Cleveland Heights for what it was,” Travis said. “It showed me a broad view of just a lot of different walks of life and I appreciated every single one of those people for different reasons and I never once had to feel like I had to judge them based on their beliefs.”
The tight end cited his own upbringing — with mother Donna Kelce and father Ed Kelce each serving as a “homemaker” and a “provider” — for helping foster how he views others.
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“My household, my mother and my father, both provided for our family, and [they] both made home what it was,” Travis noted. “And they were unbelievable at being present every single day of my life. I think that was a beautiful upbringing for me. Now, I don’t think everyone should do it the way that my parents did, but I certainly thank my parents and love [them] for providing and making sure that home was what it was because I’m not the same person without them being who they were in my life.”
Butker has not publicly addressed the backlash to his speech. He began practicing for the Chiefs’ 2024-2025 season earlier this week.
