NFL heiress Gracie Hunt defends Harrison Butker after controversial commencement speech

The heiress to a billion-dollar fortune has defended an NFL star over his awful ‘marriage and children’ comments towards women.

Chiefs heiress Gracie Hunt praised Harrison Butker when asked about the kicker’s comments about women during his now-viral commencement speech at Benedictine College last weekend.

During an appearance on Friday’s instalment of “Fox & Friends,” Steve Doocy asked Hunt about her family’s reaction to three-time Super Bowl champion Butker’s speech, when he opined about working women and told female graduates to embrace being a “homemaker,” among other things.

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“I can only speak from my own experience, which is I had the most incredible mum who had the ability to stay home and be with us as kids growing up,” Hunt said, as reported by the New York Post.

“And I understand that there are many women out there who can’t make that decision.

“But for me in my life, I know it was really formative in shaping me and my siblings to be who we are.”

Harrison Butker and Gracie Hunt. Photos: Benedictine College/Getty Images

Doocy asked, “So you understand what he was talking about?” to which Hunt, whose father Clark Hunt has a net worth of $3 billion, replied: “For sure and I really respect Harrison and his Christian faith and what he’s accomplished on and off the field.”

Butker, who’s open about his Christian faith, faced backlash after his speech at the Catholic school took aim at the LGBTQ+ community and “degenerate cultural values”.

The 28-year-old also quoted the lyrics to a song from “my teammate’s girlfriend”, Taylor Swift, who’s dating Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.

“For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment,” Butker said at the podium on Saturday (last Sunday AEST).

“You should be proud of all that you have achieved to this point in your young lives.

“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.

“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,” Butker said before praising his wife, Isabelle.

“I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother,” he said.

Butker (right) should stick to his day job. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

Butker added he was “beyond blessed” because Isabelle “would convert to the faith, become my wife, and embrace one of the most important titles of all: homemaker”.

The NFL issued a statement saying Butker’s comments do not align with the league’s values.

“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” said Jonathan Beane, the senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer at the NFL.

“His views are not those of the NFL as an organisation. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as NFL heiress Gracie Hunt defends Harrison Butker after controversial commencement speech