Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid address Harrison Butker controversy

NFL kicker Harrison Butker of the Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs stirred controversy earlier this month when he delivered a faith-based Commencement speech at Benedictine College, a Catholic liberal arts university outside of Kansas City. 

In fact, a petition to have the Chiefs release Butker has garnered thousands of signatures. But Butker has already gotten support from his teammates and team ownership, and now, two of the most visible figures within the organization in quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid are also coming to his defense. 

"What makes the locker room so cool is you’re able to have those discussions and become better and make those decisions for yourself," Mahomes said. "Even though there’s vast differences as far as those speeches happening at the same time, you get to talk to guys and get knowledge and you make your own decisions at the end of the day. 

"I judge him by the character he shows every single day -- that’s a good person," Mahomes said. "That’s someone who cares about the people around him, cares about his family. He wants to make a good impact in society.

"There’s certain things he said that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I understand the person that he is and he’s trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction. It may not be the same values that I have, but at the same time, I’m going to judge him by the character he shows every single day and that’s a great person.

"It gets a little divisive at times when you get to social media and you get to outside the building. But in the building, you can have those healthy discussions and still be friends at the end of the day, even though you might not agree with the same things."

Like Mahomes, Reid stated that one of the great things about the United States is the freedom to have diverse opinions.

"Everybody’s got their own opinion, and that’s what’s so great about this country," Reid said. "You can share those things and you can work through it. That’s what guys do."

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