Kansas City Chiefs kickerĀ Harrison ButkerĀ hasĀ attracted a storm of controversyĀ for his recentĀ graduation speechĀ that attacked everything from abortion to women who work outside of the home.
But he has one unlikely defender inĀ Whoopi Goldberg, who defended Butker on Thursdayās episode of āThe View.ā
During Saturdayās commencement at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, Butker attacked Joe Bidenās support of abortion rights and suggested that a womanās life only begins when she becomes a wife and mother.
Butkerās comments aroused controversy on social media, andĀ a rebuke from the NFL, butĀ Goldberg defended his right to make those commentsĀ to her fellow āViewā co-hosts on Thursday.
āListen, I like when people say what they need to say,ā Goldberg said. āHeās at a Catholic college, heās a staunch Catholic. These are his beliefs, and heās welcome to them. I donāt have to believe them. I donāt have to accept them. The ladies who were sitting in that audience do not have to accept them.ā
Goldberg saw similarities between Butker and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick who became a League pariah after he kneeled during the National Anthem.
āThe same way we want to represent when Colin Kaepernick takes a knee, we want to give respect to people whose ideas are different than ours,ā Goldberg said.
Although Goldberg said Butker was entitled to his beliefs, she said that didnāt necessarily mean they should be followed by others.
āAnd the women who are sitting there, if they take his advice, good for them, theyāll be happy. If they donāt, good for them, theyāll be happy in a different way,ā Goldberg said.
