Former ESPN broadcaster Trey Wingo faced criticism on Monday for his comments about Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker following the news of the Super Bowl champion’s reported contract extension.
Butker and the Chiefs are said to have reached a four-year agreement worth $25.6 million, making it the largest contract ever awarded to a kicker in NFL history. His guaranteed amount of $17.75 million is also a record for his position. He has played a key role in helping the Chiefs secure three Super Bowl titles since the 2020 season.
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Trey Wingo speaking on SiriusXM at Super Bowl LVIII on February 8, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
However, Butker’s offseason has seen some controversy due to his faith-based commencement address at Benedictine College, where he encouraged women to take pride in the title “homemaker” and criticized President Biden, stating, “Issues like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for degenerate cultural values and media stem from a pervasiveness of disorder.”
Wingo commented on Butker’s contract news by taking a jab at him regarding the speech.
“The Harrison Butker extension… making him the highest paid kicker…. highlights the core reality of the NFL: the better you are at your job, the more a team is willing to tolerate you, pure and simple,” he wrote on X.
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker greets fans at the beginning of training camp, Saturday, July 27, 2024, in St. Joseph, Missouri. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)
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Fans reacted strongly to Wingo’s comments about being “willing to put up with” issues, pointing out that Butker has neither been arrested nor convicted of any crime; he merely delivered a speech that received mixed responses.
Throughout his seven-year career, Butker has maintained an impressive 89.1% success rate on field goal attempts and 94.5% on extra points. His performance last season was particularly outstanding, going 38-for-38 on PATs and 33-for-35 (career-high 94.3%) in field goal attempts.
Harrison Butker at the ESPY Awards held at the Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
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He successfully converted all four field goal attempts in Super Bowl LVIII, including two crucial game-tying kicks in the fourth quarter, one of which forced the game into overtime with just three seconds remaining.
Contributions to this report were made by Fox News’ Ryan Morik.
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