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Harrison Butker Of Kansas City Chiefs: “I Stand By What I Said”

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Harrison Butker Of Kansas City Chiefs: “I Stand By What I Said”


Harrison Butker spoke to local Kansas City media at training camp today for the first time since his controversial May commencement speech at Benedictine College.

Butker became a lightning rod for suggesting that some of its female graduates looked forward to being wives and mothers more than entering the working world.

The Chiefs kicker isn’t backing down from those comments.

Butker recently signed a $25.6 million contract with the Chiefs to become the highest-paid place kicker in the NFL. He is coming off a career-best season in which he hit 94.3 percent of his field goal attempts and was a perfect 11-for-11 in field goals for the Chiefs’ most recent Super Bowl run.

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Today, Butker said he “respected all the viewpoints” of people who disagreed with his speech, which included criticisms of President Joe Biden and his handling of COVID-19, and comments on abortion, IVF, surrogacy, and euthanasia.

“I prayed about it, I thought about it, and I was very intentional with what I said,” Butker said of his speech. “I stand by what I said.

“I really believe if people knew me as a person, and understood that it was coming from a place of love, and not a place of trying to attract or put people down,” Butker added. “I only want the best for people, that’s what I was trying to say there. I think the people that were in that gymnasium all understood what I was saying.”

Butker was criticized by many in the sports world, including Serena Williams at the ESPY Awards and a former Chiefs cheerleader.

“I’ve been in the league now seven years and I do have a platform,” Butker added Wednesday. “So with that comes people that want me to state what I believe to be very important.”

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“I’m going to continue to say what I believe to be true and love everyone along the way.”

The Chiefs start the quest for their third-straight championship on Sept. 5 against the Ravens on Thursday Night Football.





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Why Chiefs’ Move To Kansas Could Mean Less Income For Their Players

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Why Chiefs’ Move To Kansas Could Mean Less Income For Their Players


The Kansas City Chiefs are moving from Missouri to Kansas and into a glistening, $3 billion dome, which will be surrounded by an entertainment district.

“It will be a world-class facility,” Kansas governor Laura Kelly said, “the envy of professional sports.”

But going across state lines could have a potentially significant downside: Reduced income for both Chiefs players and staff as a result of the state’s different tax provisions.

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The Chiefs are slated to play — and therefore work — in Missouri’s Arrowhead Stadium complex until moving into their Kansas digs in 2031.

Currently, Kansas Citians who work in Missouri instead of Kansas pay less income tax, but the difference is marginal.

The top income tax rate in Kansas is 5.58%, and one reaches that rate with a taxable income of $46,000, which NFL players obviously would exceed. In Missouri it is 4.7% once taxable income reaches $9,436, and those who work in Kansas City, Mo. — like the Chiefs — pay another 1% as an earnings tax.

Another difference between the states is the corporate tax rate, which impacts the Chiefs as a privately held C corporation.

Both states have a base rate of 4%, but only Kansas assesses a surtax of 3% on taxable income of more than $50,000.

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That discrepancy, though it wouldn’t impact the players’ individual income, is likely why Jason Sudeikis said tax issues forced him to film scenes from his Ted Lasso show in Missouri instead of Kansas.

And legislation in August could more drastically shift things between the border states.

Amendment 5’s Potential Consequences

As part of a special election on Aug. 4, Missourians will vote on Amendment 5.

If the amendment passes, it would eliminate individual state income tax in Missouri. So staying put at Arrowhead Stadium’s GEHA Field would have had financial benefits.

“If you have that situation,” Kenneth Woodward, a Kansas City-area certified public accountant, exclusively shared, “it would have been a totally different ballgame.”

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To put the numbers in perspective: If the amendment passes and the Chiefs had stayed in Missouri, a Chiefs player making $20 million a year would save about $1 million in taxes. (Guard Trey Smith, for example, will make $19.75 million in base salary this season, though that does not include his bonuses.)

The Chiefs could still save money while playing in Missouri through the end of the decade but not once they leave the Arrowhead complex in 2030 — unless Kansas changes its tax provisions before then, and Congress approves them.

Amendment 5 would not only impact players currently on the roster, but also the entire Chiefs staff, including owner Clark Hunt.

Moreover, it could have helped lure free agents.

After his then-Raiders team moved from Oakland, Calif., to Las Vegas, Nev., tight end Darren Waller lauded the financial windfall because Nevada is one of eight states — along with Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming — to have no state income tax.

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To offset the loss of income tax revenue, states typically increase sales tax, but Texas and Alaska compensate with taxes on oil drilling.

“Each state kind of deals with it on their own,” Woodward said. “They’re all going to get their money from somewhere. It’s not like the states are operating without revenue streams.”

The Lure Of Kansas

Since moving to Kansas City from Dallas in the 1960s, the Chiefs have played in the state of Missouri.

But moving to Kansas became attractive to the Chiefs because the state will pay for about 60% of the new stadium through its sales tax and revenue (STAR) bonds.

The Wyandotte County in Kansas, City, Kan., location also offers ample space for the stadium to be surrounded by an entertainment district, featuring hotels, bars, restaurants and shops.

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That will provide further revenue streams and capitalize on the NFL trend.

The New England Patriots have Patriot Place, an outdoor complex adjacent to Gillette Stadium, which has restaurants, hotels, a movie theater and shops. The Dallas Cowboys’ The Star District has a 12,000-seat practice facility also used by high school teams and 19 restaurants, a hotel, a cigar bar, a spa and multiple shops.

Having that kind of complex is the upside of moving to Kansas for the Chiefs.

The downside is they may have cost themselves some future income by staying in Missouri.

“That would have been a big motivator for the Chiefs to stay just to be able to avoid that state income tax,” Woodward said. “If they complete the move to Kansas, then there’s nothing they’re going to be able to do other than just complain to Kansas.”

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Police in Kansas City, Missouri, investigate Sunday night homicide

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Police in Kansas City, Missouri, investigate Sunday night homicide


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Investigators were called out Sunday night on a homicide near E. 47th Street and Pittman Road.

Online crime reports indicate Kansas City, Missouri, police were called out around 8:30 p.m. Sunday on a shooting in the 4600 block of Overton Avenue.

A police spokesperson was responding to the scene.

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This is a developing story and will be updated.

If you have any information about a crime, you may contact your local police department directly. But if you want or need to remain anonymous, you should contact the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com. Depending on your tip, Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward.

Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.





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2026 K-State Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 6: Kansas

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2026 K-State Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 6: Kansas


New coach Collin Klein knows what it takes to beat in-state rival KU as a player, finishing 2-0 in his career as the starting quarterback. In those two games, he scored nine total touchdowns, with six of them coming on the ground. The Week 6 matchup in Manhattan this season is the first opportunity for Klein to win this rivalry as the head coach, and K-State fans will be looking for that streak to be extended to 18 consecutive wins against KU.

KU has taken steps in the right direction under coach Lance Leipold, but the Jayhawks have been unable to get the job done against the Wildcats. Last year, the Wildcats limped into that matchup with just a 3-4 record. However, K-State took control early in Lawrence en route to the 42-17 victory.

Beating KU is always on top of the priority list for the Wildcats, and for Klein, keeping the streak going is something the fans are expecting.

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K-State Early Opponent Preview Series:  Nicholls| Washington State| Tulane| Cincinnati| Houston

Offense

One of the biggest question marks going into the 2026 season for KU is who will be the starting quarterback. Jalon Daniels might not always have been beloved by Jayhawks fans, but to lose that type of college production is tough to overcome.

Isaiah Marshall and Cole Ballard are in a tight battle for the job, and they both play the position differently. Both guys played sparingly last season, as Marshall showcased his rushing ability, carrying the ball 15 times for 160 yards. This is obviously the most important battle for the Jayhawks, and it could be a situation where this battle goes into Week 1 and potentially even the Missouri game.

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One of the more shocking transfer portal decisions was Dylan Edwards leaving K-State, and going to KU. Edwards has battled injuries his entire career, but he gives the Jayhawks a legitimate home run threat out of the backfield. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield will be big for either quarterback, as he fits the Jayhawks offensive scheme very well.

The receiver position has some legitimate talent, as transfer Nik McMillan and Cam Pickett should form one of the better duos in the Big 12. He had 62 catches for 981 yards and three touchdowns at Buffalo, while Pickett was second on the Jayhawks last year with 45 catches for 476 yards and three scores. Depth at the position is solid, as guys like Nahzae Cox and Tate Nagy also figure to be important pieces of the offense.

Defense

This is an area where the Jayhawks have to be better, but some interesting pieces are coming back on that side of the ball. Linebacker Trey Lathan made an immediate impact after transferring from West Virginia, as he led the team last year with 86 tackles. With another year in Lawrence, look for him to take anoher big step, and be one of the best defensive players in the Big 12.

There is some talent back on the defensive line, as Leroy Harris III and Blake Herold are two guys who contributed last year. Harris led the Jayhawks with 4.5 sacks, while Herold had 43 tackles after only 20 in his first season. The secondary has some new pieces, but there is talent there, led by Louisville transfer Corey Gordon Jr. He had 53 tackles last season, and is the type of guy who figures to be on the field immediately for the Jayhawks

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Schedule

The schedule makers didn’t do the Jayhawks any justice, as they have a very challenging schedule this year. A week 2 rivalry game against Missouri is definitely circled on the calendar, but the Jayhawks will be in London the following Saturday for a Big 12 matchup against Arizona State. There are many K-State fans still mad about traveling overseas last season, and that was in the opener. To have to do that in Week 3 is a big challenge.

Even the week before the big rivalry game against K-State, the Jayhawks travel to one of the most hostile places in the country to take on the Utah Utes. The conference schedule is going to be a tough challenge, as the Jayhawks have only three conference games in Lawrence.

Outlook

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This is a pivotal season in the Leipold era in Lawrence. On the one hand, there is no denying that he has built KU into a respectable program after it was at rock bottom when he got there. However, Jayhawks fans want more as the team has struggled to win in the final minutes of games over the last couple of seasons.

For the Jayhawks, this is always a big game, but the stakes in this game have never been higher. The Jayhawks have shown the ability to make it to a bowl game under Leipold, but winning the Sunflower Showdown is the next step they want to see Leipold and his staff accomplish.

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Game Info

Date: Saturday, October, 17
Time: TBD
TV:  TBD
Location: Bill Snyder Family Stadium
Series history: KU leads 64-54-5. While the Jayhawks lead the all-time series, it is the Wildcats that have won 17 straight games. The last time KU won was on Nov. 8, 2008 when the Jayhawks won, 52-21, in Lawrence.

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