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The owner of the Kansas City Chiefs said Wednesday that he has no problem with kicker Harrison Butker forming a political action committee designed to encourage Christians to vote for what the PAC described as “traditional values.”
Butker announced the UPRIGHT PAC last weekend, during the Chief’s farewell, in several posts on social media.
“One of the things I tell the players every year in training camp is to use your platform to make a difference,” said co-chairman Clark Hunt. “We have players on both sides of the political spectrum, both sides of whatever controversial issue they want to bring in. I’m not worried about our players using the platform to make a difference.
Butker is front-and-center on the UPRIGHT PAC website alongside Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, who got the kicker endorsement ahead of the general election against Democrat Lucas Kunce.
“We see our values ​​under attack every day. In our schools, in the media, and even from our own government. But we have a chance to fight back and reclaim the traditional values ​​that make this country great,” PAC. said on the website. “We are working to mobilize Christians in this country to ensure that we protect these values ​​at the ballot box.
Butker first made what he called a “very deliberate” foray into politics in May, when he delivered a polarizing commencement address at Benedictine College, a private Catholic liberal arts school in Atchison, Kansas. The three-time Super Bowl champion said, among other things. Most women who receive degrees are more likely to marry and have children, and some Catholic leaders are “pushing harmful gender ideologies on America’s youth.”
Butker also attacked Pride month, an important time for the LGBTQ+ community, and President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion.
The NFL distanced itself from Butker’s comments, issuing a statement later that said: “The view is not from the NFL as an organization. The NFL is firm in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
“I decided, ‘You know what? There are things that I believe in with all my heart that I think will make the world a better place, and I’m going to preach them,'” Butker said, when asked about the address during practice. “If people don’t agree, they don’t agree, but I will continue to say what I believe is right and love everyone on the road.”
The Hunt family has backed a group urging Missouri voters to reject a ballot measure that would have repealed the state’s abortion ban through Unity Hunt, the company that oversees Lamar Hunt’s family assets. The Chiefs declined to comment on the $300,000 donation except to confirm to The Kansas City Star that the money was transferred by Clark Hunt’s half-brother, Lamar Hunt Jr., through Hunt’s Unity account.
Meanwhile, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said last month that he would not endorse Donald Trump or Kamala Harris in the November election, despite the former president repeatedly referring to his wife, Brittany, as a campaign supporter.
“I don’t want my board and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate,” Mahomes said. “My job is to inform people so they can be registered to vote. It’s to inform people to do their own research and then make the best decision for them and their families.
The comments came less than a day after Taylor Swift, who is dating the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and has been friends with the Mahomes family, endorsed Harris for president. That prompted Trump to tell Fox News: “I really like Mrs. Mahomes, if you want to know the truth. She’s a big Trump fan. I like Brittany. I think Brittany is great.
Patrick Mahomes was asked Wednesday about Trump’s reference to his wife and said “at the end of the day, it’s about me and my family and how I treat other people.”
“I think you see Brittany doing a lot in the community. I do a lot in the community to help people up, and give people a chance to use their voice,” he said. “In political times, people will use things here, but I can’t let it affect my business every day of my life, and try to live as best I can.”
