Tennis star Serena Williams on Thursday criticized Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, whose commencement speech in May angered the left.
Her comments came at the 2024 ESPY Awards ceremony, which honors women in sports, where she, her sister Venus Williams and actress Quinta Brunson were presenting at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, TMZ reports. report Friday, noting that Butker was also in attendance.
In the video, Venus tells the crowd, “Women’s sports is a sport, so enjoy it just like any other sport,” with Serena adding, “Except you, Harrison Butker. We don’t need you.”
Branson then said, “Hell, hell no,” and the crowd cheered.
“So enjoy women’s sports just like you would any other sport, because it is a sport.” – Venus Williams
“Except you, Harrison Butker. I don’t need you.” – Serena Williams
“Totally. Totally.” – Quinta Brunson #ESPYS pic.twitter.com/RhvxfiHUWN
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 12, 2024
Social media users were quick to share their opinions, with some saying: call “It’s so embarrassing,” said another. It is regarded That’s “cheap.”
Butker gave a commencement speech at Benedictine College in May in which he slammed President Joe Biden’s pro-abortion stance and urged male students to embrace their masculinity and women to embrace marriage and motherhood, Breitbart News reported at the time.
Watch his full film speech here:
Despite the backlash, Butker expressed no regrets about his speech during his first public appearance since then at the Regina Caeli Academy’s (RCA) Courage Under Fire Gala in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Our love for Jesus and our desire to speak out must never be defeated by our fallen nature’s desire to be loved by the world,” he says. Said:
BREAKING: In his first public comments since his commencement speech sparked liberal outrage, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made it clear he won’t compromise his faith. Follow pic.twitter.com/q3Vh0KpvTg
— The Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) May 25, 2024
Actress Patricia Heaton defended Butker’s commencement speech in a video posted to Instagram, saying he was allowed to express his opinion, Breitbart News reported on May 20.
“He’s stating his opinion and Catholic doctrine, but so what? It’s his opinion. He can have an opinion. He’s recognized. He’s not a monster for expressing what he believes,” she said. Commented:
“He has gone after the bishops more than he has gone after women and women’s choices and what women’s choices should be, so I don’t understand that,” she said.
“I’m a Catholic woman who worked when my children were young and I believe God opened that door for me and, thankfully, it was a schedule that allowed me to essentially be a stay-at-home mom. I take no offense to what he said,” Heaton added.
