Roger Goodell praises 'diversity of opinions' in NFL, USA following Harrison Butker's speech

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Harrison Butker's commencement speech brought its fair share of both praise and criticism.

The Kansas City Chiefs kicker encouraged women graduates to embrace their "vocation" as a "homemaker" and criticized the LGBTQ community and President Biden for his stance on abortion. 

In the speech, Butker went after President Biden while adding, "things like abortion, IVF, surrogacy, euthanasia, as well as a growing support for the degenerate cultural values and media all stem from pervasiveness of disorder."

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell attends a Super Bowl Host Committee handoff news conference at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on Feb. 12, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, though, took a different route, praising the country for its ability to give its citizens freedom of speech.

"We have over 3,000 players. ... They have a diversity of opinions & thoughts just like America does. I think that's something that we treasure & that's part of ultimately what makes us as a society better," Goodell said on Wednesday, via Yahoo Sports.

Goodell's comments echoed the sentiments of Butker's quarterback and coach, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.

"What makes the locker room so cool is you’re able to have those discussions and become better and make those decisions for yourself," Mahomes, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, told reporters Wednesday. "Even though there’s vast differences as far as those speeches happening at the same time, you get to talk to guys and get knowledge, and you make your own decisions at the end of the day. 

Place kicker Harrison