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Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker kicked up a shitstorm with his commencement speech at Benedictine College on May 11. Speaking to graduates from the Catholic college, Butker made a number of controversial comments. He described pride month as a celebration of “deadly sin.” He urged men, “Be unapologetic in your masculinity, fighting against the cultural emasculation of men.” And he referred to the “diabolical lies” that have been fed to women, arguing that women’s most important roles are those of wife and mother and that they should prioritize those over pursuing a career. His remarks have drawn widespread backlash but also caused his jersey sales to soar. Now Eddie Vedder has joined the list of those responding to Butker.
As Rolling Stone points out, Pearl Jam played a show Saturday in Las Vegas at MGM Grand Garden Arena. From the stage, Vedder praised opening act Deep Sea Diver, noting that band members Jessica Dobson and Patti King “must not have believed that ‘diabolical’ lie that women should take pride in taking a backseat to their man.” Vedder said homemaking is a difficult, important job that both men and women should be proud of, but argued that everyone should pursue their dreams.
The singer went on to say that Butker’s comments about embracing masculinity were ironic because he is a place kicker, traditionally viewed as the least tough position on the football field: “The irony was that the football player — kicker … You see, the kicker doesn’t have the pads because he doesn’t tackle anybody or get tackled. But he was telling men, ‘Don’t forget to puff up your chest and be more masculine. Don’t lose your masculinity.’ The irony was that when he was saying that, he looked like such a pussy.”
During his speech, Butker quoted “Bejeweled” by Taylor Swift, girlfriend of his Chiefs teammate Travis Kelce, noting that “familiarity breeds contempt.” Swift and Kelce have yet to comment on the speech.
Check out footage of Vedder’s comments below.