There’s probably no one in the NFL right now who has been so outspoken about their faith like the Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. Even if his comments have drawn more controversy than praise, Butker has always stayed true to his religious beliefs. He doesn’t care about any outside critics as long as God stands beside him. However, it seems Butker has gone a bit overboard this time, claiming players should stop celebrating in the NFL. Butker believes celebrations don’t reflect well on the players who share Christian faith.
Over the last seven seasons, Butker has been the NFL’s second most accurate kicker with a 89.1% success rate. And whenever his kicks do go in, you could hardly see Butker jumping in celebration. Even when he single-handedly kept the Chiefs in the Super Bowl LVIII against the 49ers with three field goals, Butker was always calm and composed. Though his teammates never shied away from celebrating his last-minute kicks, Butker silently did his job and walked away. Sometimes, very rarely, you can see Butker celebrating, but not like running down the field screaming in jubilation.
He simply points his fingers at the sky, probably expressing his gratitude to God. So, in a guest appearance on The LOOPcast, Butker shared his grievances on NFL celebrations. “I think through the successes or the failures, you have to have humility, and I always try to think. If our Lord was playing in the NFL or really any sport, would he be someone that is scoring a touchdown and then celebrating and dancing you know, and making it all about him?” Well, Butker’s comments could be a possible subtle dig at his Chiefs teammate, Travis Kelce.
Sep 22, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kansas City Chiefs place kicker Harrison Butker (7) runs off the field after a victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Last season, Kelce was even fined $14K for celebrating after scoring his 77th TD of his career. It was something special to Kelce as he also broke Tony Gonzalez’s Chiefs all-time TD reception record in the process. So, in order to give him a tribute, Kelce recreated Gonzalez’s iconic TD slam dunk celebration. Trav even said afterwards, “We all know how iconic it was when he dunked the ball over the goalposts all the time. I gave it my best effort. I’m not sure I did it quite like him.” Even if he did, the NFL flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct, as they don’t like certain TD celebrations these days.
Maybe to protect Kelce from such misdemeanors, Butker wanted to share his thoughts on celebrations. But that’s not the only thing he talked about. Butker also wants players to understand the true values of being a gifted athlete.
Harrison Butker bows down to the Almighty
Even though Butker is a kicker, he knows very well how crucial his role is to the team. Even if it is brief, his kicks can alter the trajectory of a game. It could either end in a heartbreak in the final second. Or a win in the most astonishing way possible. So, when it came to sharing his thoughts on how he deals with the pressure in a clutch moment. Butker said, “Whenever I feel super nervous or anxious, that’s definitely when I turn to God more than any other time.”
Butker has been a winner ever since he joined the Chiefs in 2017. He played in seven consecutive AFC Championship games, made it to 5 Super Bowls, and won 3 of them. Butker knows very well to whom he owes the credit for coming so far in his career. Like on the LOOPcast show itself, Butker wanted to express how he also hopes that other NFL players show the same level of humility he has tried to portray in his life.
“I hope in the NFL and across the other sports leagues adopt this level of humility in the successes or the failures, and realize that the gifts that they are using and that people are cheering for are gifts from God,” Butker added. Well, it remains to be seen how well Butker’s message on faith will be received in the NFL. Whether or not players would actually listen to his take on celebrations. Only time will tell what will come out of Butker’s reflection on players expressing their emotions.
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