The Buffalo Bills aren’t the only beneficiaries of the knee injury to Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker.
News of Butker’s injury came out Thursday evening ahead of the Chiefs-Bills showdown Sunday, and, for many liberals disgruntled with the outcome of the recent election, the news was a reprieve and cause for celebration on social media.
Several social media users posted in celebration of Butker’s injury, referencing the kicker’s previous comments on the benefit of women accepting domestic roles as mothers and wives and his endorsement of Trump.
One widely circulated post had a caption that said, “Women seeing Harrison Butker get injured,” attached to a video of a television audience standing up and cheering passionately.
Another user wrote, “Please take all of Harrison Butker’s pain and have it stay exactly where it is.”
Some users took the injury as an opportunity to knock Butker’s masculinity.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (7) kicks as punter Matt Araiza (49) holds during training camp at Missouri Western State University in Kansas City, Mo., July 26, 2024. (Denny Medley/USA Today Sports)
One post said, “real men don’t miss work.”
“Too busy bending the knee to Trump huh,” another post said.
However, some fans stepped up to defend Butker from the harsh responses.
“Any of y’all, Chiefs ‘fans’ that are celebrating the Butker injury because of his ‘politics’ go find another team for we don’t need that kind of negative energy,” one fan wrote.
Some used the injury as an opportunity to push conspiracy theories and make jokes about Butker being appointed for Trump’s Cabinet.
HARRISON BUTKER’S FAITH-DRIVEN COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS AT BENEDICTINE COLLEGE: READ THE SPEECH HERE
One user jokingly wrote, “Donald Trump announces that Harrison Butker will lead the Department of Women’s Rights and Home Affairs.”
Another user falsely wrote, “He’s holding out for a few weeks hoping for the ‘Director of Family Services’ cabinet position.”
The jokes and false claims about Butker come amid recent announcements of Trump’s Cabinet appointments, many of which have drawn praise and controversy. The appointments of Matt Gaetz as attorney general, Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense and Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency have been among the most discussed appointments in recent days.
Butker endorsed Trump and Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley in the recent election. The kicker announced his Upright PAC along with Hawley, earning the praise of Chiefs owner Clark Hunt.
The kicker’s shift into politics accelerated after he made remarks about women and their careers during a commencement address at Benedictine College.
“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. 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,” Butker said at the time.
Shortly after the speech, Butker’s jersey sales soared. His jersey ranked 11th in NFL sales, from March 1 to May 31, the NFLPA said.
However, Butker’s speech also incited fierce and oftentimes emotional backlash from many in the mainstream media. Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins mocked Butker for being a kicker after delivering the remarks, while NBC’s “Today” host Hoda Kotb scolded the kicker, telling him “not to speak for women.”
Butker later told Fox News host Laura Ingraham he’s “saddened” some people took his words in a “poor manner.”
“I was trying to speak life for so many women that have dedicated their life to being the homemaker, being the one that raises the children. And it’s a beautiful role, but it’s not a role that should be diminished,” he explained.
“There’s nothing shameful if you are a woman, and you want to spend time with your family and raise your children. So, it’s not putting down anyone who maybe wants to go get a great education and have a career.
“But it’s more talking about how beautiful it is for women to maybe just step aside and prioritize their family and spend time with their children and raise their family. And that’s what I was just trying to speak love about.”
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