Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (Getty Images)
"It's prophetic. If you actually listen to the opening remarks he provides, he establishes that the left wants to silence Christian voices, wants to drive Christian thought, Christian ideals, expression of Christian beliefs from public discourse, from the public domain. And that's exactly what the left has done in retaliation against Harrison Butker's free exercise of religion," he said.
Bailey argued Butker was protected by the First Amendment, as well as the Missouri Human Rights Act, and vowed to hold Kansas City officials, including Mayor Quinton Lucas, accountable for the social media post.
"It's retaliation and bullying on behalf of a government official within the municipality of Kansas City," Bailey said.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker speaks to the media during Super Bowl LVIII opening night, Feb. 5, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Butker came under fire last week after delivering a speech to new graduates of the Catholic liberal arts college, focusing on the importance of being "unapologetically Catholic."
His address included barbs at President Biden for his pro-abortion stance and supporting young women in the "vocation" of marriage and motherhood. He also referred to pride month as a "deadly sin."
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For Butker's stances on faith and family, both the media and the NFL alike condemned the speech. The NFL explicitly distanced itself from Butker, saying "his views are not those of the NFL as an organization." Others, however, including various elected officials and conservative groups, have come to his defense.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kansas City mayor's office for comment.
Fox News' Jasmine Baehr contributed to this report.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on X at @BGillespieAL.
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