Breaking News: Patrick Mahomes responds to controversial comments made by Chiefs teammate Harrison Butker

While expressing that he didn’t necessarily agree with comments Kansas City Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker made during a controversial commencement speech, quarterback Patrick Mahomes defended Butker’s character and freedom to express his opinion.

“I’ve known him for seven years and I judge him by the character that he shows every single day, and that’s a good person,” Mahomes said Wednesday during a news conference. “That’s someone who cares about the people around him and cares about his family and wants to make a good impact on society.

When you’re in the locker room, there’s a lot of people from different areas of life and they have a lot of different views on everything. We’re not always going to agree. And there’s certain things that he said that I don’t necessarily agree with, but I understand the person that he is and he’s trying to do whatever he can to lead people in the right direction. It might not be the same values that I have, but I’m going to judge him by the character that he shows every single day.”

Mahomes and the Chiefs kicked off their organized team activities sessions this week, with veterans reporting to the team for practices and training. On Wednesday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid also addressed the content of Butker’s speech and similarly praised Butker’s freedom to express his thoughts.

“The guys are good with that,” Reid said. “They understand how things work — I mean, everyone has got their own opinion. That’s what’s so great about this country. You can share those things and you work through it.”