A dual NFL Super Bowl champion has delivered an inspiring pro-Christian, pro-family commencement speech at his alma mater.
Earlier this year, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker sealed his team’s second Super Bowl victory in five years, nailing the winning field goal with just eight seconds left in the game.
This month he had some ‘life advice’ for graduating students at the Georgia Institute of Technology, speaking about the joys of marriage and family and the ‘war on truth.’
“I’m about to pop off some hard truths.” he began, before warning the graduates that their hard work might land them a very successful career, but that would not be enough to make them happy.
“In the end, no matter how much money you attain, none of it will matter if you are alone and devoid of purpose,” he explained.
The National Catholic Register reported the devout Christian observed there are “too many examples” of people who have achieved “worldly success,” but remained unfulfilled. He also noted that “our culture is suffering.”
“I can offer one controversial antidote that I believe will have a lasting impact for generations to come: Get married and start a family,” he advised.
The NFL star acknowledged that he has been praised for his game-winning kicks, revealing that this year’s Super Bowl was the most-watched football game in history. But he stressed: “All of this happiness is temporary, and the truth is, none of these accomplishments mean anything compared to the happiness I have found in my marriage and in starting a family.”
“My confidence as a husband and father, and, yes, even as a football player, is rooted in my marriage with my wife, as we leave our mark on future generations by the children we bring into the world,” Harrison Butker proclaimed.
“How much greater of a legacy can anyone leave than that?”
He said that his experience with Georgia Tech’s Catholic Center “laid the foundation for me to prioritise meaningful relationships and become the husband and father I am today.”
“While I’m still striving to be a better, more virtuous man, I’m confident that with God and with my wife by my side, I can do more than I ever could have imagined alone,” he asserted.
He told the graduates that they will face challenges in a world where there is a “war on truth” and many people have lost respect for the dignity of the human person.
“Gone are the days when a plurality of thought was accepted and encouraged. Instead, freedom of thought has been replaced by a culture built on cancellations for those who disagree,” he continued.
Harrison Butker encouraged the students to “take risks at the expense of being silenced.”
“There will always be critics and those that disagree with our viewpoints; however, if we shy away from confrontation, then the only voices left will be the ones with the most power,” he opined.
The two times Super Bowl champion concluded: “I pray that something I’ve said has resonated with you all and that no matter what happens from here on out, remember your purpose, focus on meaningful relationships, and know that, with or without the spotlight, your life has value, and you are meant for more.”
