Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and wife Isabelle hit the red carpet Thursday for the team’s Super Bowl 2024 ring ceremony in Kansas City, roughly one month after his controversial commencement address.
Dressed in a cream tux with a black bow tie, the 28-year-old Butker smiled beside Isabelle, clad in a green dress, and accessorized with two of his Super Bowl rings from the Chiefs’ championships during the 2019 and 2022 seasons.
The rings the world champion Chiefs received Thursday following their Super Bowl win over the 49ers in February boast 529 diamonds and 38 rubies, according to the team.
The three-time Super Bowl champion came under fire last month over comments made during a commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas that touched on an array of topics, including political, religion and cultural issues.
In the speech, Butker suggested that women have “had the most diabolic lies told to you” and that the “homemaker” title is one of the most important they can hold.
“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. I can tell you that my beautiful wife Isabelle would be the first to say that her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,” Butker said at the Catholic institution.
Butker was heavily criticized for the perceived sexist and homophobic remarks, with members of the media such as Michelle Beadle and Lisa Guerrero slamming the NFL pro.
In the wake of the controversy, Butker’s Chiefs teammates, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, publicly lauded his character but distanced themselves from his views.
“I’ve known him for seven-plus years, probably eight-plus years, and I cherish him as a teammate. I think Pat said it best, where he is every bit of a great person and a great 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,” Kelce said on a May installment of his “New Heights” podcast.
“When it comes down to his views and what he said at [Benedictine College] commencement speech, those are his. I can’t say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it, outside of just him loving his family and his kids and I don’t think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views of how to go about life, that’s just not who I am.”
Butker, who is entering his eighth season with the Chiefs, stated last month he stands by his remarks.
“It’s a decision I’ve consciously made and one I do not regret at all,” Butker said at the Regina Caeli Academy’s Courage Under Fire gala in Nashville.
The kicker also joined the Chiefs at the White House on May 31 for their Super Bowl celebrations, despite condemning President Joe Biden in his speech.
Butker and Isabelle have been married since 2018 and share two children.
