Harrison Butker. Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Harrison Butker’s comments about teammate Travis Kelce’s romance with Taylor Swift have a new meaning after his controversial graduation speech.
In March, Butker, 28, opened up about meeting Swift, 34, for the first time after a team celebration event at the beginning of the year. Swift and Kelce, 34, began dating in summer 2023 and made their relationship official when she attended her first Kansas City Chiefs game that September.
While recalling his conversation with the singer, Butker had nothing but “great things” to say about Swift. He also shared that he hopes the couple settle down together in the future.
“I hope they get married and start a family,” Butker said to EWTN News In Depth.
Taylor Swift is a proud member of Chiefs Kingdom in support of boyfriend Travis Kelce. “Football is awesome, it turns out,” Swift, who started dating the Kansas City Chiefs tight end in summer 2023, told TIME the following December. “I’ve been missing out my whole life.” Swift went to her first Chiefs game in September […]
Two months later, Butker’s sweet sentiments turned sour after the Kansas City Chiefs kicker gave a commencement speech at Benedictine College that centered stereotypical gender roles. Butker addressed the women in the audience who were getting their diplomas that day.
“I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” he told the crowd at the ceremony on Saturday, May 11. “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.”
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Michael Owens/Getty Images
Butker also referenced Swift herself by quoting her song “Bejeweled,” missing the meaning of the song completely. (In the Midnights track, Swift sings about being in a relationship where she is not valued.)
“As my teammate’s girlfriend says, ‘familiarity breeds contempt,’” he said at the time.
The athlete then pivoted to talk about his own wife, Isabelle, whom he wed in 2018. Butker gushed about how she converted her faith and embraced “one of the most important titles of all: Homemaker.”
Kansas City Chiefs player Harrison Butker found his No. 1 cheerleader in wife Isabelle Butker, whom he wed in 2018. “We met in high school,” Harrison said of his spouse during a January 2023 appearance on the “Kansas City Mom Collective” podcast. “A lot changes with Division I football, playing in the NFL, but she’s […]
“I say all of this to you because I have seen it firsthand, how much happier someone can be when they disregard the outside noise and move closer and closer to God’s will in their life,” he continued. “Isabelle’s dream of having a career might not have come true, but if you ask her today if she has any regrets on her decision, she would laugh out loud without hesitation, and say, ‘Heck, no.’”
Neither Swift nor Kelce have addressed Butker’s controversial speech. After receiving backlash, Butker deleted all photos of Isabelle from his Instagram account.
