Current:Home > MyKelly Stafford, Wife of NFL's Matthew Stanford, Weighs in on Harrison Butker Controversy -MoneySpot
Kelly Stafford, Wife of NFL's Matthew Stanford, Weighs in on Harrison Butker Controversy
View
Date:2025-04-17 07:38:16
Kelly Stafford, the wife of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, has joined the chat about Harrison Butker's controversial commencement speech.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicker has sparked mixed reactions over his remarks at Benedictine College, a Catholic college in Atchison, Kan. May 11, in which he said most female graduates would be "most excited" about marriage and motherhood and spoke about against topics such as abortion and IVF. Five days later, Kelly, who shares four daughters with Matthew and is both a self-proclaimed "homemaker" and a podcast co-host, shared her thoughts on Harrison's speech.
"Building men up and not tearing them down is important. Building women and not tearing them down is important," she wrote on Instagram. "Everyone has a choice of what they want his/her life to look like...it's not up to anyone else or society. The more society tells women where they belong, the more imposter syndrome starts to creep in, that they don't belong because that's what society is telling them."
She continued, "I'm happy and I thrive at home with being the homemaker, but that's not every woman's story nor should it have to be. Some women choose not to stay home and some women don't have the luxury to choose. We all might not agree on everything, but I think we all want the same end goal, a better world for our kids. I think supporting and encouraging women and men in whatever roles they choose is a great first step towards that goal."
Harrison, 28, has not responded publicly to the backlash over his speech. Meanwhile, the NFL issued their own response amid the controversy.
"Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity," the league's senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane said in a statement to People. "His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger."
In his speech, Butker said he thought female students had been told "diabolical lies," adding, "How many of you are sitting here now about to cross this stage and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world."
He continued, "I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say that her life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother."
To the male students, Harrison said, "Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men."
The athlete also said in his speech that "things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values in media, all stem from the pervasiveness of disorder."
Later, in an unrelated part of the speech, Harrison referenced the lyric "familiarity breeds contempt" from Taylor Swift's 2022 song "Bejeweled" after referring to her solely as his "teammate's girlfriend."
The track from the 14-time Grammy winner, who has been dating Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce since last summer, has a female empowerment theme, with the preceding lyrics being, "Best believe I'm still bejeweled / When I walk in the room / I can still make the whole place shimmer / And when I meet the band / They ask, 'Do you have a man?' / I could still say, 'I don't remember.'
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (24)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Pregnant Lala Kent Poses Completely Nude to Show Off Baby Bump
- Authorities will investigate after Kansas police killed a man who barricaded himself in a garage
- Kit Harington Makes Surprise Return to Game of Thrones Universe
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Brooke Shields' Twinning Moment With Daughter Grier Deserves Endless Love
- A woman shot her unarmed husband 9 times - 6 in the back. Does she belong in prison?
- American surfer Carissa Moore knows Tahiti’s ‘scary’ Olympic wave. Here’s how she prepared
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Katie Ledecky can do something only Michael Phelps has achieved at Olympics
Ranking
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Jacksonville Jaguars reveal new white alternate helmet for 2024 season
- Flamin' Hot Cheetos 'inventor' sues Frito-Lay alleging 'smear campaign'
- Nebraska Legislature convenes for a special session to ease property taxes, but with no solid plan
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Man dies at 27 from heat exposure at a Georgia prison, lawsuit says
- Whistleblower tied to Charlotte Dujardin video 'wants to save dressage'
- Horoscopes Today, July 25, 2024
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Meta’s Oversight Board says deepfake policies need update and response to explicit image fell short
Olympics meant to transcend global politics, but Israeli athletes already face dissent
Company says manufacturing problem was behind wind turbine blade breaking off Nantucket Island
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
Olympic wrestler Kyle Snyder keeps Michigan-OSU rivalry fire stoked with Adam Coon
F1 driver Esteban Ocon to join American Haas team from next season
USA Basketball players are not staying at Paris Olympic Village — and that's nothing new