Outpouring of Support for Outspoken Chiefs Kicker Butker After Inking Lucrative New Contract

The place-kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, Harrison Butker, received much criticism for his commencement remarks at a Catholic liberal arts college last May, but that’s in the past: It’s been replaced by overwhelming support on social media after he agreed to a four-year, $25 million extension.“He’s worth every penny,” one X user, Thorn Andel, posted. “He got us to the playoffs and to the Super Bowl, not to mention a wonderful Catholic and a good example of what it is to be a Christian. Thank God he is on our team. GO CHIEFS!”Another X user, Lenutza Ceausescu, posted, “Frankly I was 100 sure he would be fired. I am glad that for once, he wasn’t.”Most of the support came in response to a tweet from a former ESPN staffer, Trey Wingo, who said the signing “underscores the inherent truth of the NFL: the better you are the job the more a team is willing to put up with pure and simple.”Mr. Butker is clearly one of the best at his job. With a career field goal percentage of 89.1, Mr. Butker is second all-time behind Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens. He led the league in scoring in 2019 and won three Super Bowls with the Chiefs after being drafted out of Georgia Tech by the Carolina Panthers in 2017.Mr. Butker set a Super Bowl record with a 57-yard field goal in the Chiefs’ 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII last February and now has the most career field goals in Super Bowls, with nine. Mr. Butker negotiated the contract without an agent, and the deal includes a guaranteed $17.75 million, the most for a kicker.“There’s no place I’d rather be than with the Chiefs,” Mr. Butker posted, “excited to finalize a 4-year extension. To the Heights!”The Chiefs, who open their preseason schedule Saturday at Jacksonville, paid for his kicking accuracy. His mouth got Mr. Butker in trouble last May, when he expressed his personal and religious views during a commencement speech that went viral online. Mr. Butker told the graduating women at a private Catholic liberal arts school, Benedictine College, that they were probably more excited about getting married and having children than entering the workforce. He also criticized Pride Month and the Biden administration’s stance on abortion and response to Covid-19.The backlash caused the NFL to distance itself from Mr. Butker, issuing a statement saying his views “are not those of the NFL as an organization.”A tennis legend, Serena Williams, also took a dig at Mr. Butker. While presenting an ESPY award, she took time to tell him, “We don’t need you.”Most of the Chiefs offered support for their teammate, but not for necessarily what he said. “He is every bit of a great person and a great teammate,” tight end Travis Kelce said during his podcast. “I cherish him as a teammate. He’s treated friends and family with nothing but respect and kindness and that’s how he treats everyone.”Quarterback Patrick Mahomes added, “I judge him by the character he shows every single day, and that’s a great person.”The firestorm created by Mr. Butker was only one of several off-the-field issues the Chiefs endured during the off-season. Trouble began in April, when wide receiver Rashee Rice was charged with aggravated assault after he and another driver of a speeding car allegedly instigated a crash involving a half-dozen cars on a Dallas highway. Mr. Rice, who went to Southern Methodist University and developed into a reliable receiver as a rookie, was reportedly driving a Lamborghini sport utility vehicle at 119 mph on March 30 when the crash happened. Mr. Rice complicated matters by leaving the crash site without rendering aid or providing information, police said. Four people suffered minor injuries.Mr. Rice, who caught six passes for 39 yards in the Super Bowl, spoke about the incident for the first time at Chiefs training camp on Tuesday. He is practicing despite facing charges that include one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury, and six counts of collision involving injury. There are reports Mr. Rice could be suspended for half of the upcoming NFL season. “It’s still a legal process and my team is handling that,” Rice said.A month after Mr. Rice’s crash, two Chiefs offensive tackles, Wanya Morris and Chukwuebuka Jason Godrick, were arrested on charges of misdemeanor marijuana possession, a crime that pales in comparison to what is facing defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, who was released by the team last June after multiple arrests in Alabama during the offseason.Mr. Buggs was charged with domestic violence and burglary on June 16 after being charged with two misdemeanor counts of second-degree animal cruelty in May. Mr. Buggs joined the Chiefs practice squad last January after spending three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers before playing two years with the Detroit Lions.The animal cruelty charges stemmed from two dogs, allegedly in his care, that were found malnourished.The Chiefs also went through a medical incident when defensive end B.J. Thompson suffered a seizure and cardiac arrest during a meeting at the team’s training facility. Mr. Thompson, 25, spent five days in the hospital before being released. There is no word on his status for this season.

Outpouring of Support for Outspoken Chiefs Kicker Butker After Inking Lucrative New Contract

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