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Travis Kelce has broken his silence on Harrison Butker‘s commencement address. During the latest episode of his and brother Jason Kelce‘s “New Heights” podcast, the 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end noted that he doesn’t “agree with the majority” of Harrison’s comments.
“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 explained during the Friday, May 24, episode of his podcast. “That just tells you, I mean, I’ve known him for seven-plus, eight-plus years and I cherish him as a teammate. 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.”
The athlete then acknowledged Harrison’s Benedictine College commencement address.
“When it comes down to his views and what he said at the commencement speech, you know, those are his [views],” Travis said. “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.”
As for how he grew up, Travis noted he had 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.” He then added that Cleveland Heights “showed [him] of just a lot of different walks of life.”
Travis concluded by noting that he “never once had to feel like [he] had to judge” the people of Cleveland Heights “based on their beliefs.”
Harrison sparked outrage on social media after delivering his commencement address earlier this month. In the speech, the Chiefs player compared the LGBTQIA+ community’s Pride Month to “deadly sins.” Moreover, he told the women in the audience that the “majority of [them] are most excited about [their] marriage and the children [they] will bring into this world.”
On top of that, Harrison also said that men “set the tone of society, and when that is absent, disorder, dysfunction and chaos set in.”
Aside from Travis, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also reacted to his teammate’s comments during a press conference earlier this week.
“I’ve known him for seven years. I judge him by the character he shows every single day, and that’s a good person,” Patrick, 28, said on Wednesday, May 22, before adding that he doesn’t have the “same values” as Harrison.