The Kansas City Chiefs have made news for a variety of reasons, including Super Bowl wins and Taylor Swift. This offseason, however, the focus has been on all the wrong things. As if the Rashee Rice incident wasn’t enough, kicker Harrison Butker was the latest Chief to irritate the PR department, making a litany of provocative remarks during a speech at Benedictine College’s graduation.
On a day dedicated to the Class of 2024’s hard work and successes, Butker’s commencement speech dismissed the women on campus, implying that pursuing a job is practically meaningless because a woman’s focus should be on being a wife and mother. The situation has been a PR catastrophe for the Chiefs, and opponents like the Miami Dolphins couldn’t be happier to avoid the controversy.
So when Miami beat reporter Chris Perkins asked a question about Butker’s comments at OTAs, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was taken aback, to say the least.
“I’m glad you asked,” McDaniel quipped. “If the players are unfamiliar with their platform, I believe you must introduce them to it. I believe they must understand that what you say is likely to be splintered and remain with you indefinitely. So, I absolutely emphasize that whatever you say, you should believe it. You just try to educate them so they comprehend the implications of their actions.”
McDaniel used an astute approach, not directly addressing Butker but rather adapting it to his own coaching and leadership ideas.