Kansas City has "separated" from the social media employee accused of doxing Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker on the city's official X account, Mayor Quinton Lucas confirmed via FOX News on Thursday (May 23).
The former employee's status confirmation comes after Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said he was pursuing action against the account following his controversial comments taking aim at working women, the LGBTQ+ community and abortion rights during a recent graduation ceremony at Benedictine College. Bailey confirmed he requested records and documents related to the management of the official Kansas City X account after it wrote, "Just a reminder that Harrison Butker lives in the City of..." a nearby Missouri suburb, in a since-deleted post shared last week.
“We have demanded certain records from the city related to their management of that social media account that doxed Harrison Butker in retaliation for his free expression of religious beliefs,” Bailey told Outkick the Morning host Charly Arnold in an episode aired on Wednesday (May 21). “Let’s paint this with the proper brush – that is government retaliating against an individual for the expression of their sincerely held religious beliefs. That could not be more of a clear case of a violation of his constitutional freedoms and the Missouri Human Rights Act.”
Both Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid addressed Butker's controversial comments while speaking to reporters during the team's organized team activity on Wednesday (May 22).
"I've known him for seven years. I judge him by the character he shows every day and that's a good person," Mahomes said via the Athletic's Nate Taylor. "We're not always going to agree. He said certain things I don't agree with."
"I've seen the clips," Mahomes added. "That's his views."
Reid said he didn't think he "needed to" when asked about giving a response to Butker's comments.
The NFL publicly condemned Butker's comments amid growing backlash last week.
“Harrison Butker gave a speech in his personal capacity,” said Jonathan Beane, the NFL’s senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, in a written statement to PEOPLE on Wednesday (May 15). “His views are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.”
Butker, 28, a three-time Super Bowl champion, quoted a song by Taylor Swift, the billionaire pop superstar girlfriend of teammate Travis Kelce, before taking aim at what he claimed were "diabolical lies told to women," and the LGBTQ+ community -- which Swift has publicly been an outspoken ally for -- claiming Pride Month represented "deadly sins," as well as abortion, in vitro fertilization, surrogacy, President Joe Biden and what he referred to as "the cultural emasculation of men."
"For the ladies present today, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment," Butker said. "I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you."
“Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world," he added.
Butker was drafted by the Carolina Panthers at No. 233 overall in the seventh-round of the 2017 NFL Draft, but was waived early in his rookie season and signed by the Chiefs off the Panthers' practice squad on September 26, 2017. The former Georgia Tech standout has emerged as one of the NFL's best kickers, kicking a game-winning field goal during Kansas City's Super Bowl LVII win against the Philadelphia Eagles, setting a career record for field goals in the Super Bowl (9) during his four appearances and making the longest field goal in Super Bowl history during the Chiefs' win against the San Francisco 49ers in February and leading the NFL in scoring during the 2019 regular season.
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