Serena Williams mocked the NFL’s Harrison Butker at an awards show over the Kansas City Chiefs player’s comments about women as “homemakers”.
While hosting the ESPY sporting awards ceremony, the legendary tennis player discussed women’s sports with her sister Venus Williams and comedian Quinta Brunson when she took aim at Butker, who was in attendance.
Addressing the crowd on Thursday night, Venus said: “Go ahead and enjoy women’s sports like you would any other sports, because they are sports.”
Serena then said “except you, Harrison Butker,” adding “we don’t need you” before Brunson quipped: “At all. Like, ever.”
It comes after Butker spoke out against abortion, called Pride month a “deadly sin”, and attacked lockdown measures during the COVID pandemic during a speech to graduates at Benedictine College in Kansas in May.
His remarks on women in the workplace went viral after he said they were told “the most diabolical lies” and he suggested one of their most important roles in life will be “homemaker”.
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Butker responds
While the Super Bowl-winning kicker wasn’t seen on camera during the event, he later accused Serena of using women’s sports to divide people.
“I thought Mrs Williams was a great host and applaud her for using her platform to express her beliefs on a variety of topics,” he said.
“Sports are supposed to be the great unifier and at an event dedicated to celebrating a diverse group of men and women who have accomplished great feats, she used it as an opportunity to disinvite those with whom she disagrees with from supporting fellow athletes.”
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In a statement at the time, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer Jonathan Beane said the Chiefs kicker was speaking in “his personal capacity” during the commencement speech.
He told People magazine: “His views are not those of the NFL as an organisation. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
Butker later said he has no regrets about his speech, telling the Courage Under Fire Gala in Nashville, Tennessee, that “if it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now”.
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