The Colab Brief - 119: A Kick and a Miss - The Butker Blunder 🏈

Another day, another fabulously wild public speaking blunder. 

For those unfamiliar with Harrison Butker’s infamous commencement speech at Benedictine College, you probably haven’t been online in the last week. However, if you need a quick refresher, People does a nice job summarizing things. 

We aren’t here to analyze everything he said because, well, that would take forever, given the wide range of sensitive topics he tackled in a mere 20 minutes. Instead, we’re here to discuss the comms of it all and analyze the responses from each of the involved entities. 

Were they sufficient? Lackluster? Wholly off base? Let’s talk about it. 

Read Time: 4 minutes. 

The Players 👫

Harrison Butker is a kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning Super Bowl Champions. Because of his status playing for one of the most prolific teams in football (and their close ties to the most famous woman in the world), multiple entities are involved, including the National Football League, The Chiefs themselves, and even Kansas City itself.

Social media is also running wild with ties between Butker and Taylor Swift, given that he quoted one of her songs in his speech and he’s teammates with her significant other—no word yet from Camp Swift. 

The NFL 🏢

The NFL is officially “distancing” itself from Butker after his remarks, according to The AP. Jonathan Beane, NFL senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, stated:

“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. 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.”

The league has been mostly silent since this initial quote, leaving us wondering…is that really it? The debate about who should say what continues to grow online, and spectators are criticizing the league's lack of action.

The entire situation brings up a few important questions:

• Given that Butker was invited to speak because of his affiliation with the NFL, should the NFL have a process in place for approving which players can participate in media activities?
  

• Does the organization have the right to dictate whether or not an athlete can speak without prior consent from the league, if the outcome may bring backlash to the NFL?
  

• What statements are punishable within the league?

We don’t have all the answers, but it’s a fascinating comms case study. 

The Chiefs 🏆

Not much to report here. The Chiefs organization itself has remained silent throughout the duration of the controversy. However, the Hunt family, owners of the team, have come out in support of Butker. Tavia Hunt, wife of CEO and chairman Clark Hunt, issued a statement via social media while daughter, Gracie Hunt, appeared on a Fox News affiliate and seemingly affirmed her mother’s earlier statement.

Tavia Hunt, wife of Chiefs’ CEO, responds to Harrison Butker’s speech

While the Chiefs organization has kept quiet, the city itself got in on the action, sending the following Tweet out clarifying that Butker lives in a neighboring region before swiftly deleting it: 

Sureee it was. 

Social Media 💻

While the incident is a real media firestorm, some people are taking advantage of the show by getting creative. The Los Angeles Chargers published their schedule release via a Sims video that features a Butker look-alike working in the kitchen. 

NFL free agent Issac Rochell also got in on the action, detailing his life as a “homemaker” while he’s on break from the league in a now-viral TikTok. 

He also released “homemaker” merch, poking fun at the Butker and the whole situation. 

While the wave of social media and other brands/players capitalizing on the situation is entertaining, there were real issues at play with Butker’s speech and the lackluster response from all parties involved has only fueled the media fire. 

A strong statement and a united front between the NFL and the Chiefs could have helped quell the uproar from the masses. But, per usual, a tepid, nothing-burger response only makes things worse. What will next week bring for Butker? Hopefully, more PR training.  

Until next week -

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