Fox News contributor Charly Arnolt has defended Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who has come under fire for his commencement speech at a private Catholic school. Arnolt argues that Butker is being unfairly portrayed as a criminal for expressing his conservative values.
OutKick host Charly Arnolt has come to the defense of Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who has faced criticism for his commencement speech at a private Catholic school. Butker's remarks, which included praise for traditional family values and criticism of abortion, sparked outrage and calls for his release from the team.
Arnolt argues that Butker is being unfairly treated and that his speech should not be seen as an attack on anyone. She points out that Butker was speaking at a private Catholic school, where he had been invited to share his perspective with fellow Catholics.
"People want to say that he is pushing his beliefs onto the masses. That's not what happened. He was specifically speaking to a group, Benedictine College. This was where he was invited to speak," Arnolt said.
Arnolt also highlights the hypocrisy of those who have criticized Butker. She notes that other NFL players who have engaged in criminal behavior have faced far less scrutiny.
"Look at his teammate Rashee Rice facing eight charges right now for a car accident he was responsible for. Is anyone calling for him to lose his position on the team? Absolutely not, so this just shows when you have conservative values, and you speak those out loud, here's what happens," Arnolt said.
OutKick founder Clay Travis and Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo have echoed Arnolt's sentiment, emphasizing the importance of the family values that Butker detailed in his speech.
"Harrison Butker would have been better off actually being accused of beating up a woman, which unfortunately has happened a great deal in the NFL because people in sports, media and larger society would have had a lot less of an issue with that," Travis said.
Arroyo also noted the NFL's double standard in its response to Butker's speech as opposed to his teammates' various arrests.
"He said we are both called men and women to be moms and dads," Arroyo said. "That's our greatest calling, our greatest vocation, and if you want to remake society for the better, do that, but in a league where 41 members of Butler's team, the Chiefs, have been arrested multiple times, I hardly think Harrison Butker's little speech at Benedictine College is the moral crisis in the NFL."
Despite the criticism, Gracie Hunt, the daughter of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, has expressed her support for Butker's stance. Hunt said that she understands the importance of family values and the role that mothers play in raising children.
"I can only speak from my own experience, which is I've had the most incredible mom, who had the ability to stay home and be with us as kids growing up. And I understand that there are many women out there who can't make that decision. But for me and my life, I know it was really formative and in shaping me and my siblings into who we are," she said.
Arnolt insists that Butker was not trying to instill his beliefs into anyone else, but rather to share them with fellow Catholics as they graduated from college.
"People want to say that he is pushing his beliefs onto the masses. That's not what happened. He was specifically speaking to a group, Benedictine College. This was where he was invited to speak," Arnolt said.
Despite the controversy, Butker has received support from many people who share his values. A Change.org petition demanding his release from the Chiefs has been met with a counter-petition by supporters who believe that his speech was not offensive and should not be punished.
