In an EWTN News In Depth interview published on March 15, reporter Mark Irons sat down with back-to-back Super Bowl Champion Harrison Butker.
Butker, the placekicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, is well known for publicly expressing his traditional Catholic views.
Despite an extremely hectic schedule, Butker aims to prioritize his duties as a husband and father.
“I don’t want to miss their life because I am still their father, I am still my wife’s husband. I’ve really honed in on my vocation, probably in the last three years or so,” Butker explained.
“I’ve really tried to be the head of my marriage, the head of the household, leading my children, leading my wife, helping them to be the best versions of themselves,” he continued. “A lot of times in prayer, that’s the time where we can grow and make sure we are the best version of ourselves to be the best husband and the best father we can be.”
The Super Bowl champion shared that in pursuit of spending more quality time with his family, he leads them in daily rosary every evening, saying prayers in both English and Latin.
“It’s been very edifying to see that they are learning from me,” he says. “As a father, I can set a good example, I can set a bad example, [and] they’re going to observe any mannerisms I do.
“They’re going to observe how I treat their mother and my wife, so it’s very interesting…but it’s been very beautiful for them to grow in devotion to the rosary.”
Butker has been vocal in expressing the powerful role men and fathers have in society.
He recently participated in a Catholic men’s conference in Wichita, Kansas.
“I did a fireside chat discussing a lot of things that have been on my mind, one of them obviously is being unapologetically Catholic,” Butker explains. “That’s something that I really decided to do the past couple of years with my platform. I’m very passionate about encouraging men to be courageous–to not be afraid to be the leader.”
“I think more men need to not care about what the world says about them. They need to have strong men who support them with iron sharpening iron, and they need to be encouraged that Jesus Christ was radical. He said a lot of things that weren’t liked…but at the end of the day, He stood for truth.”
While dressing informally at Mass has sadly become the average standard, Butker shared his passion for Shepherds, the custom men’s suit company he co-founded.
“Dressing more formally, wearing a sports coat, wearing a suit, has really pushed me to act and be a better, more virtuous man and I want that for everyone around me,” he says.
“Maybe I’m different in that sense–that I need to be dressed properly to act properly. But I think there is something to be said that your exterior can help influence your interior, and usually, how you dress reflects your interior.
“I used to be that guy who would just wear sweats and not put a lot of time and effort into what I was wearing. But if I’m trying to attack the day, if I’m trying to be the best possible person I can be for Our Lord Jesus Christ, then I need to be on my game and that starts with how I dress and how I approach the day.”
Butker also shared his love for the Traditional Latin Mass and is thankful he has the opportunity to participate in this sacred liturgy during the travel season.
“The traditional Latin Mass has really transformed my life understanding the Liturgy that our Church has celebrated for so many centuries, and understanding all the traditional sacraments has been amazing for me,” he explains. “I just decided if I really do believe that Jesus is number one in my life, that the Church is number one in my life, then I need to make the Mass the priority of my life.”
“I’ve had a great relationship with the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter and they’ve been able to provide priests for all the away games–Saturday night before the games in the hotels to celebrate this beautiful liturgy,” Butker says.
“Last year we went to our first-ever ordination in the Traditional Rite and I was there with my four-year-old son at the time. The next day after the ordinations, we went to one of the young priests’ first Masses and just looked down and saw my son, who talks about becoming a priest all the time. That could be him one day. It was very emotional for me and I’m very thankful for the fraternity allowing the Traditional Latin Mass to be extended to so many people that have never witnessed it before.”
For those wondering, while Butker does not have a favorite Taylor Swift song, he did quote the lyrics “familiarity breeds contempt” from “Bejeweled,” stating, “I’ll claim that as my favorite.”
