Whoopi Goldberg has made a shocking announcement about Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker after his controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College’s graduation.
Following the backlash Harrison Butker received for his graduation speech, Whoopi Goldberg is speaking out to support the NFL player.
The Kansas City Chiefs player’s 20-minute commencement speech at Benedictine College covered a variety of societal concerns, including gender roles, LGBTQ+ rights, and abortion. However, his remarks caused backlash.
The criticism has become so severe that a petition urging his dismissal had amassed more than 115,000 signatures as of Thursday.
Goldberg linked the situation to that of former San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who faced criticism for kneeling during the national anthem beginning in 2016 to raise awareness about police brutality and racial inequity in the United States.
Goldberg’s cohost, Sara Haines, cited calls for Harrison Butker’s removal from his position on the Super Bowl-winning Chiefs when she stated she doesn’t want individuals “shut down or fired,” despite her own harsh criticism of Butker’s opinions.
She also disagreed with Goldberg’s comparison to Colin Kaepernick, who previously sparked uproar in conservative circles by refusing to stand during the National Anthem at NFL games to protest police brutality in America.
Haines called the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s actions as “standing up for the rights of many and saying, in a social justice moment, a reminder that we’re not there yet,” while she criticized Butker for being “divergent from the majority of Catholics” when he disparaged other people with his words, via ENews.com.
Haines argued that Butker is “not walking with Jesus” by using his religion to oppress people.
