Kansas

Kansas City Chiefs kicker defends controversial commencement speech

Published

7 months ago

May 25, 2024

Kansas City Chiefs kicker defends controversial commencement speech

In his first public comments following a controversial speech at a recent college commencement, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker defended his address and emphasized his Catholic faith.

“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now,” Butker said during a speech at the “Courage Under Fire” gala in Nashville on Friday night.

The Nashville speech was posted to X by right-wing media outlet The Daily Wire.

This is the first time the three-time Super Bowl champion has spoken publicly about his commencement address at Benedictine College, a small Catholic college in Kansas, on May 11. During his address, Butker made comments interpreted by many as homophobic and sexist, including calling Pride Month a “deadly sin” and saying that a woman’s accomplishments in the home are more valuable than any academic or professional goals, among other things.

Friday night’s gala was hosted by Regina Caeli Academy – a hybrid campus/homeschool Catholic school group with several locations across the country. The gala boasted several other speakers including right-wing media personality and host at the Daily Wire, Matt Walsh.

“Over the past few days, my beliefs, or what people think I believe, have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe,” Butker, who is on the school’s board of directors, said.

Regina Caeli Academy did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

“At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate. But as the days went on, even those who disagreed with my viewpoints shared their support for my freedom of religion,” Butker said Friday.

Butker reaffirmed his commitment to his Catholic faith, saying, “Our love for Jesus and thus our desire to speak out should never be outweighed by the longing of our fallen nature to be loved by the world.”

During his speech, Butker referred to Saint Daniel, the biblical prophet who was thrown into a lion’s den for committing to prayer to God, despite a law that condemned worshipers to death.

“I can’t help but tremble at the thought of the courage many saints have shown in their lives,” Butker said.

Daniel was spared by God due to his commitment to faith, according to the Old Testament.

“Would I be so bold if the repercussion was what Daniel faced in being fed to lions? In reality, any courage I’ve shown will lead to some small suffering. And it will lead to some people maybe never liking me, but that could be God’s will,” the Chiefs kicker said.

The NFL issued a statement earlier this month, saying Butker’s comments don’t reflect the views of the league.

Butker’s May 11 speech sparked criticism from LGBT advocacy organization GLAAD, which called his comments “a clear miss” and “woefully out of step with Americans about Pride, LGBTQ people and women.”

The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica monastery, a founding institution and sponsor of Benedictine College, also distanced themselves from Butker’s message. “The sisters of Mount St. Scholastica do not believe that Harrison Butker’s comments in his 2024 Benedictine College commencement address represent the Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college that our founders envisioned and in which we have been so invested,” they said in a statement. “Instead of promoting unity in our church, our nation, and the world, his comments seem to have fostered division.”

Fellow Chiefs star, Travis Kelce, recently responded to the commencement address, saying he does not agree with “just about any” of Butker’s views but values him as a teammate.

“I cherish him as a teammate. I think Pat (Mahomes) said it best where he is every bit of a great person and a great teammate,” Kelce said on the latest episode of the “New Heights” podcast he hosts with his brother, Jason.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com

Source link

Click to comment

Kansas

How to Watch: No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks vs. Brown Bears

Published

1 hour ago

December 18, 2024

Press Room

How to Watch: No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks vs. Brown Bears

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks are back at Allen Fieldhouse this Sunday afternoon to take on the Brown Bears in what promises to be an exciting matchup.

Kansas (8-2) is looking to build momentum after a commanding bounce-back victory over NC State, while Brown enters the contest riding high on a six-game win streak.

The Bears, representing the Ivy League, hold a 7-3 record and are currently third in their conference standings. Their recent stretch of success will be tested as they take on a Kansas team with a rich a roaring home-court advantage.

This will be the third meeting between the Jayhawks and the Bears. The teams last faced off in 1997, with Kansas securing a dominant 107-49 victory. The only other encounter dates back to 1989, when the Jayhawks claimed another lopsided win, 115-45.

Where: Allen Fieldhouse
When: Sunday, 2 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
Streaming: FUBO TV, YouTube TV

The Jayhawks will look to maintain their strong start to the season and add another win to their record, while the Bears aim to extend their streak against a tough Big 12 opponent.

How Kansas Basketball Slowed Down Future No. 1 Pick Cooper Flagg

Duke Legend Calls Out Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson for ‘Dirty Play’ Against Blue Devils

What Bill Self Said About Missouri’s Court Storm

Source link

Kansas

Drake men’s basketball outlasts Kansas State in overtime thriller in Kansas City

Published

9 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Press Room

Drake men’s basketball outlasts Kansas State in overtime thriller in Kansas City

Drake basketball player Bennett Stirtz broke the hearts of the team he grew up rooting for on Tuesday night.

Stirtz’s 3-pointer with 4 seconds left in overtime gave the Bulldogs a 73-70 victory over the Wildcats at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

Stirtz, a native of Liberty, Mo., and a lifelong K-State fan, scored 22 points to help Drake improve to 10-0. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the national polls and turning heads in coach Ben McCollum’s first season at the helm.

Stirtz scored eight of Drake’s 10 points in overtime.

“It had everything to do with their toughness and their will to win,” McCollum said of the victory. “To Bennett specifically, I’ve had a lot of good guards, and I remember each of their ‘We’re not going to lose this game’ moments, and that was one of those moments. That says a lot about him and that says a lot about his teammates to trust him to be able to do that.”

Drake’s Mitch Mascari led all scorers with 25 points and went 8-for-10 from three-point range. Stirtz was next with 22 to go along with four assists, two rebounds and three steals. Cam Manyawu was the other Bulldog in double figures with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Mascari was 6-for-6 from 3-point distance in the first half.

The Bulldogs have crafted an impressive resume in non-conference play, beating Miami (Fla.), Vanderbilt and now Kansas State.

Drake is one of four Division I teams still undefeated (Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee are the others). The Bulldogs improved to 5-0 in games played away from home (4-0 neutral site, 1-0 road).

Drake will play host to Green Bay at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Knapp Center.

The Drake sports information department contributed to this report.

Source link

Kansas

Kansas State basketball vs Drake live score updates: Wildcats pay a visit to Kansas City

Published

17 hours ago

December 17, 2024

Press Room

Kansas State basketball vs Drake live score updates: Wildcats pay a visit to Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas State basketball ends a 10-day layoff at its home away from home Tuesday against unbeaten Drake at T-Mobile Center.

The Wildcats (6-3) will try to get back on track after a second-half collapse resulted in an 88-71 loss at St. John’s on Dec. 7 as part of the Big 12/Big East Bash series. But they face a red-hot Drake team that is off to a 9-0 start under first-year coach Ben McCollum, including victories over Miami (Fla.), Florida Atlantic and Vanderbilt.

McCollum, who won four NCAA Division II championships at Northwest Missouri State, brought four starters with him to Drake, including top three scorers Bennett Stirtz (17.8 points, 6.1 assists per game), Daniel Abreu (13.9 points) and Mitch Mascari (12.2 points). The Bulldogs have five players on their roster from the Kansas City metro area.

Watch Kansas State basketball vs Drake live on ESPN+

K-State is playing its first game without backup forward Achor Achor, who left the team last week for personal reasons. Villanova transfer Brendan Hausen leads the Wildcats in scoring with 15.2 points per game, followed by super-senior forward David N’Gussan with 14.2 points and 6.8 rebounds.

With the shot clock winding down, Drake’s Mitch Mascari leans in for a 3-pointers — he’s now 5-for-5 — and K-State falls behind 29-9.

With 7:39 left in the half, K-State still hasn’t cracked double digits, trailing Drake, 25-8. Drake is 9 of 15 from the floor, including 4 of 7 from 3 — Mitch Mascari 4-for-4 — while the Wildcats are 4 of 15 and have been outrebounded 11-6 and turned the ball over four times.

Drake has hit 5 of 9 shots and has assisted on each basket, and leads 14-4 with 11:48 left in the half.

K-State is 2 of 10, 0-for-5 from 3, with three turnovers.

Mobi Ikegwuruka, who had been sidelined with an injury, was the first Wildcat off the bench along with Dug McDaniel for David Castillo at the point two minutes into the game.

Drake races to a 9-0 lead, forcing Jerome Tang to burn a timeout with 15:27 left in the half. The Wildcats are 0 of 5 shooting, including three 3-pointers, and have turned the ball over twice.

Drake, on the other hand, is 4 of 6 with a 3-pointer and looks like the better team so far and it’s not close.

Freshman David Castillo gets his first start for K-State

The Kansas State point guard merry-go-round continues to spin. True freshman David Castillo gets his first career start tonight against Drake, making him the Wildcats’ third point guard to open a game this season.

CJ Jones started eight of the previous nine games and Dug McDaniel one. Interestingly, Castillo played just two minutes the last time out in the Wildcats’ 88-71 loss at St. John’s.

The other starters for the Wildcats tonight are the usual: guards Brendan Hausen and Max Jones, with Coleman Hawkins and David N’Guessan at forward.

Kansas State vs Drake game time today

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 17
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Mo.

What channel is Kansas State vs Drake game on today?

Kansas State vs Drake prediction

K-State is a slim favorite and desperate for a victory to build momentum heading into Big 12 play, but Drake has outscored its opponents by nearly 20 points per game and ranks second nationally in scoring defense. Give a slight edge to the Bulldogs.

Prediction: Drake 70, Kansas State 65

Kansas State vs Drake betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Tuesday afternoon:

Spread: Kansas State -1.5
Over/under: 134.5 points

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

Source link