Ex-ESPN star faces backlash over Harrison Butker jab after kicker agrees to massive extension
Butker's speech at Benedictine College sparked an uproar
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trey Wingo, a former ESPN broadcaster, took flak on Monday after his remark about Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker fresh off of the Super Bowl champion’s reported extension.
Butker and the Chiefs reportedly agreed to a four-year deal worth $25.6 million, the most ever given to a kicker in NFL history. His $17.75 million guaranteed is also the most for the position. He’s helped the Chiefs to three Super Bowl championships since the 2020 season.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trey Wingo speaks on SiriusXM at Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 8, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
However, Butker’s offseason has been filled with drama over his faith-based commencement speech at Benedictine College. He urged women to embrace the title of "homemaker" and ripped President Biden while adding, "Things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder."
Wingo used Butker’s extension news to take a shot at him over the speech.
"The Harrison Butker extension… making him the highest paid kicker…. underscores the inherent truth of the NFL: the better you are at the job the more a team is willing to put up with pure and simple," he wrote on X.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker waves to fans at the start of training camp, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in St. Joseph, Missouri. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
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NFL fans came after Wingo over the "willing to put up with" remark as Butker was never arrested or convicted of a crime. Instead, he just gave a speech that earned praise from some and backlash from others.
In his seven-year career, he has knocked 89.1% of his field goal attempts and 94.5% of extra-points. This past season was his best, though, as he went 38-for-38 on PATs and 33-for-35 (career-high 94.3%) on field goal attempts.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Harrison Butker during the ESPY Awards held at the Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
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He was 4-for-4 on field goal attempts in Super Bowl LVIII, including two game-tying kicks in the fourth quarter, one of which sent the game into overtime with three seconds left.
Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.
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