How the Chiefs blew the Harrison Butker issue; Aaron Rodgers, still useless; Scottie Scheffler, unlikely activist

It’s been a couple of weeks since Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker issued a series of misogynistic, sexist, homophobic, and at least tangentially anti-Semitic remarks — he blames Jews for killing Jesus, but his own church disagrees — while speaking at Benedictine College, a Catholic institution that generally aligns with Butker’s platform of oppression.

It’s been a couple of days since Butker revealed, in a staggering display of unintentional irony, that he was astonished at the “shocking level of hate” drawn by his shockingly hateful remarks. He said that at an event called the “Courage Under Fire Gala” in Nashville, which, in a staggering display of self-unawareness, he said was “providential.” Because, in his eyes, he’s the only victim.

This merits discussion now because both Jason Kelce, the most popular Eagle ever, and Travis Kelce, the most popular celebrity boyfriend in the world, weighed in on it. So did Andy Reid, Butker’s coach and Eagles legend, as well as Patrick Mahomes, Butker’s quarterback. Also, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts. All responded with differing degrees of appropriateness.

Travis Kelce blew it. So did Mahomes and Reid. Travis said, “He’s a great person,” but great people do not say what Butker said. Mahomes said, “That’s someone who cares about the people around him” and “wants to make a good impact on society” … unless you’re female, or gay or, heaven forbid, both. Reid said, “We all respect each other’s opinions,” but Butker’s opinions are oppressive, and they certainly do not deserve respect.

These sorts of responses ignore how inherently harmful oppressive and elitist this sort of speech is. To simply say, “I disagree with him,” rather than saying, “He’s wrong,” is a coward’s way out; to call him a “good person,” like Mahomes, calls into question the character of the speaker.

Jason Kelce was better: “When you’re listening to somebody, you take in things that you like [and] you listen to other things and say, ‘I don’t [bleeping] like that.’” Later, after getting grief for not being critical enough of Butker, Jason Kelce said, “If my daughters listen to anybody tell them what to do [and] that they should be homemakers, then I’ve failed as a dad,” and said of people who, like Butker, present asinine viewpoints, “That guy’s a [bleeping] idiot.”

Hurts completely gets it.

“Women are thrusted into positions to have to overcome this, overcome that, and they lack the respect that they deserve,” Hurts said last week. “I’m here advocating for it, not only in football but in every situation.”

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts says women ‘lack the respect they deserve’ a week after Harrison Butker’s controversial speech

Hurts surrounds himself with capable, professional women. He’s also a Christian.

Look, if a woman chooses to be a homemaker, God bless her. My mother was a homemaker … and, at other times in her life, she was a nurse, a fish market owner, and an in-home caregiver. These were her choices.

This is not difficult, and this is not debatable.

And before we embark on any “freedom of speech” debate, remember this: Free speech is not about Butker being able to say almost whatever he wants without repercussions from me and you; it’s about him being able to say almost whatever he wants without repercussions from the government.

Butker’s not just attacking women who are doctors (like my wife, a radiation oncologist), or physicists (like his mother, who also works in radiation oncology), or Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce’s billionaire entertainer girlfriend and one of the most powerful people on the planet.

He’s attacking female athletes specifically. If Butker had his way, there would be no WNBA, no U.S. women’s national soccer team, no LPGA, and no WTA. That is what he’s advocating: women to be used solely as breeding livestock and as powerless labor, even if it’s against their will.

It’s kind of sad to hear all the “respect his stance” comments coming from men who I know know better. It underscores how powerless some marginalized groups remain in the eyes of privileged, rich men.

Rest assured, if Butker made these comments about Black folks, he’d never go back into an NFL locker room.

Aaron Rodgers in January spoke at length about the importance of the Jets avoiding distractions.

Then he spent the offseason attacking the LGBTQ+ community, considering becoming the running mate of fellow conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., refusing to communicate with the franchise that’s paying him $51.5 million to lead the team this season.

But then, what else would you expect from a lying, anti-vax, Ayn Rand disciple who believes that the popularity of Joe Rogan’s podcast validates the utter insanity so often promoted by the Joe Rogan podcast?

As more information comes to light surrounding the arrest and brief detention of world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler on May 17 for allegedly ignoring traffic instructions from Louisville police, then assaulting an officer, it seems more and more likely that Scheffler will not be prosecuted.

A recent video released by the police seems to contradict the police report and align with eyewitnesses, who depict Scheffler as a compliant citizen who acted as instructed. Also, the arresting officer’s body camera, conveniently, was not activated, which is a violation of department policy.

» READ MORE: Why Jason Kelce will be the best NFL analyst since John Madden (and better than Tom Brady and Tony Romo)

It is utterly fascinating to see rogue police behavior being scrutinized by an industry, and a demographic that comprises much of its fan base, that consistently aligns itself with the preservation and protection of rogue police behavior.

Officers from the same department killed Breonna Taylor in 2020, which helped spark the protests underpinned by the Black Lives Matter movement that year. The city of Louisville settled a $12 million wrongful death lawsuit with Taylor’s family in 2020, and five officers have left the force, but maybe, just maybe, all of the bad apples haven’t been purged from the barrel.

Scheffler has four wins this year, including a second Masters title, but if his case results in real police reform in Louisville and perhaps beyond, it will be the most significant win of his career.