NEW ORLEANS – Kansas Metropolis Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who tends to be talkative with regards to his Christian religion, briefly went silent on Monday night time when he was requested, “What do you concentrate on gays?”
“I perceive that this can be a nice night and we’re right here to concentrate on the sport,” Butker mentioned whereas sitting at a lectern throughout the Tremendous Bowl opening-night media occasion within the Superdome. “Perhaps if I noticed him and not using a digital camera, we’d have an excellent dialog.”
It has been an eventful yr for the 29-year-old Butker, who joined the Chiefs in 2017 and has been a part of seven consecutive AFC championship video games and 5 journeys to the Tremendous Bowl. He’s chasing his third straight ring and fourth general.
The curler coaster started nearly precisely a yr in the past, when the Chiefs met the 49ers in Las Vegas. One of the correct kickers within the NFL saved Kansas Metropolis within the Tremendous Bowl with a trio of discipline targets, together with a 57-yarder within the third quarter, earlier than his 29-yarder on the finish of regulation pressured time beyond regulation. Kansas Metropolis went on to win, 25-22.
Then got here the offseason, and Butker made a slew headlines off the sector.
“There’s been so much that is gone on and I by no means anticipated to be this recognized, I suppose, as a kicker,” Butker mentioned.
Final Might, Butker was requested to ship a graduation handle at Benedictine School, a personal Catholic liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas. Amongst his polarizing remarks, Butker postulated that a lot of the ladies receiving levels that day had been in all probability extra enthusiastic about getting married and having kids than coming into the workforce, and that some Catholic leaders had been “pushing harmful gender ideologies onto the youth of America.”
Butker additionally assailed Pleasure month and railed in opposition to then-President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion, forcing the NFL to distance itself from the feedback, saying in an announcement: “His views should not these of the NFL as a company. The NFL is steadfast in our dedication to inclusion, which solely makes our league stronger.”
Because the summer season gave option to election season, Butker was once more within the highlight for launching his UPRIGHT PAC, which claimed to have a purpose of encouraging Christians to vote for what it described as “conventional values.” The PAC web site was nonetheless lively forward of the Tremendous Bowl and soliciting donations, nevertheless it doesn’t describe the place or how the cash is spent.
Butker additionally hung out forward of coaching camp in late July campaigning for Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump and his insurance policies, forward of the final election.
Nonetheless, he was caught just a little off guard by what sort of lightning rod for public notoriety he appeared to be heading into the season.
“It was a shock as a result of I might been saying related issues to that for a few years now and it is humorous what stuff will get picked up,” Butker mentioned. “I mentioned what I mentioned. I consider in it. I do not really feel the necessity to apologize for something. I really feel like God’s ready me for that second to really feel assured in who I’m and what’s most necessary in my life and I will deal with no matter comes my method.”
The season has been a curler coaster, too.
Butker hit a 51-yard discipline purpose as time expired to present Kansas Metropolis a 26-25 win over the Bengals in Week 2. He had three discipline targets the next week that proved to be the distinction in a win at Atlanta. And he kicked the go-ahead discipline purpose within the fourth quarter of a 16-14 win over the Broncos in mid-November that saved the Chiefs barreling towards the No. 1 seed within the AFC.
After that recreation, although, Butker underwent surgical procedure to restore a torn meniscus in his non-kicking knee. The damage and ensuing process affected the best way he kicks — his left knee bends nearly like a lunge when he hits the ball now — and should have been a giant cause why, as soon as Butker returned in mid-December, he missed an additional level and discipline purpose try in consecutive weeks.
He is been again on observe within the playoffs, drilling a trio of discipline targets in a divisional-round win over Houston, then hitting the go-ahead 35-yard discipline purpose with 3:33 remaining that helped Kansas Metropolis beat Buffalo 32-29 within the AFC championship recreation.
“It is a optimistic to know you can go on the market and make kicks when it issues,” he mentioned. “However each recreation is completely different.”
Nonetheless, he is no stranger to Tremendous Bowls at this level.
“I’ve gotten so much higher to dealing with the nerves main as much as the sport,” Butker mentioned. “I have been right here earlier than. I perceive as soon as the sport begins it is identical to some other recreation. I additionally really feel like I can tempo myself just a little bit so I am not enjoying the sport (in my head) earlier than it is really performed.
“Fortunately, I’ve performed in lots of of those video games and I’ve these reminiscences to return on,” he added. “However clearly you perceive the magnitude of what this recreation is.”
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AP Sports activities Author Dave Skretta in Kansas Metropolis, Missouri, contributed to this report.
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