Jim Acosta Blasts Harrison Butker’s Controversial Commencement Speech: ‘Missed Wide Right’

CNN’s Jim Acosta had strong words in response to Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s viral commencement speech which included anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and a suggestion that women would be happier being homemakers.

In a conversation with sports commentator Rachel Nichols on Friday, Acosta harshly criticized the Super Bowl-winning kicker for using his platform at Benedictine College’s commencement for such a regressive message, calling the speech “insane” and “unbelievable”:

Acosta: The NFL issued a statement on this on Wednesday saying, “Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization.” I mean, Rachel, this seems like a cop-out on the part of the NFL. I mean, it’s unbelievable what Butker was saying in this speech, saying that women might be better off staying at home instead of pursuing careers. It’s 2024. That’s insane.

Nichols: He went so far as to say that his wife feels that her life began when she married him, when she became a wife and eventually a mother. And the fact that he’s talking to female graduates there, this is supposed to be the crowning moment of an incredible amount of hard work and sacrifice, and he’s basically telling them to go home to their parents’ house and then to their husbands’ houses. It’s incredibly insulting for the women in the audience.

But the thing is that there are parts of this country and parts of the NFL fan base who are applauding him. Legendary coach Lou Holtz, who for a long time was a stalwart at Notre Dame, actually put out a tweet saying “Don’t back down” to Harrison and saying that he supports him. There are jersey sales that have skyrocketed. In fact, his jersey is selling better right now than Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Chiefs.

And look, obviously this is a country divided into what we feel about all kinds of issues, and the locker room in Kansas City is clearly going to be divided because Patrick Mahomes himself is a huge supporter of women’s sports. He’s the co-owner of the women’s soccer team in Kansas City and has been very outspoken about what women can do. We know that Travis Kelce has, of course, been very supportive publicly of his girlfriend Taylor Swift’s career. But there is a division about his comments, and I think the NFL is, a little bit, trying to play it both ways as they try to keep that huge record female audience that they gained through this NFL season and Super Bowl, but also please some of its base that is supporting Butker.

Then Acosta pointed out the possible double standard of NFL players expressing their personal views openly and facing different consequences, if any:

Well, and is there a double standard here? I mean, Colin Kaepernick, he takes a knee to protest police brutality and gets banned from the NFL. Can’t get a job in the NFL. Harrison Butker gives this speech, goes wide right, so to speak. And and the NFL says, “Well, you know he was on his day off when he gave this speech. No big deal.” I’m sorry, what?

Nichols corrected Acosta by noting that Kaepernick wasn’t officially banned for his protest, but agreed that there was a double standard:

[I]t is a double standard. There’s no question about it. Many times in professional sports, and frankly, particularly in the NFL, if you deliver results, a lot is excused. And in this case, Butker was a key part of winning that Super Bowl for him. He’s got the longest kick in Super Bowl history. He’s very good at his job and he does have some support. Of course there’s also voices on the other side who are pro-family, pro-religion, pro-God who are making the point you can still be all of those things and support women’s rights. There are certainly plenty of men in this country who are equal partners in raising their children, some as single dads who would argue with his comments even if they are dedicated church members.

Watch the video above via CNN.