NFL player Harrison Butker's controversial graduation speech has gathered even more criticism after a sports anchor slammed the star.
NBC Sports Boston anchor, Trenni Casey, has labelled the misogynistic speech by the athlete as 'dehumanizing' and 'hateful' in a 4-minute TV address on Thursday (16 May).
During the controversial speech, Butker made jokes that he had become known for not speaking his mind and here lies the problem. His speech has been deemed both sexist, homophobic and offensive for his comments about the LGBTQ+ community, women in the workplace and abortion.
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In response, Casey told NBC viewers: "Harrison Butker isn’t nearly the talent or the star Colin Kaepernick once was, but he should be treated the same: blacklisted, and this time it would actually be justified."
She added that she 'strongly' believes in free speech and the 'right to hold opinions that are different from [her] own'. However, she also told viewers: "I also believe there are consequences for speaking out.
"There is a big difference between opinion and dehumanizing hateful speech."
Highlighting Butker's speech, she said he is 'entitled to think differently' and said he is 'allowed to align his views with the Catholic church on sensitive topics' in the aftermath of the speech.
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Her 4 minute speech also explained that she didn't believe his jokes gave his point of view: "Instead, the 28-year-old Chiefs kicker spent 20 minutes espousing the greatest hits of bigotry, antisemitism, misogyny, homophobia [and] anti-diversity," she said.
She continued: "The trope he’s pushing? It’s the same one Nazis used during the Holocaust, arguing that the murders of 6 million Jews was punishment for the murder of Jesus by their ancestors. It should be noted that the Catholic Church has already denounced this narrative back in 1964, yet on Saturday, Butker was pushing the lie."
Casey also slammed Butker for comparing Pride Month to a 'deadly sin' and 'making sure everyone knows that women are nothing more than vessels for children and wives' to husbands.
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She continued the rant by adding: "I am so tired of people telling us at the center of these dehumanizing rants that we need to respect everyone’s opinion. No. We don’t, and we don’t have to tolerate it, either.
"You are not allowed to go out of your way and belittle, degrade and depict groups that don’t look like you as subhuman. That’s not an opinion. That is hate. Plain and simple."
Casey also pointed out Butker's now famous reference to Taylor Swift after he said: "As my teammate's girlfriend says, familiarity breeds contempt,” in reference to Swift’s song Bejeweled.
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Casey referenced the Taylor Swift nod as she added that him referring to Swift as 'my teammate's girlfriend' because that’s 'all she is in his mind,'. Casey concluded the speech: "He chose to quote a song called ‘Bejeweled,’ but it feels inappropriate for Butker who more closely aligns with a newer song she wrote, 'The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived'."
Casey's speech has won praise from fans online, with many taking to social media to praise her words. One person wrote on TikTok: "She came, then conquered, and she didn’t leave a damn crumb."
Another shared: "THIS is what deserves a standing ovation."
Topics: NFL, Sport, Taylor Swift
Niamh Spence