Travis Kelce extended invitations to nearly all his Kansas City Chiefs teammates for his highly anticipated wedding to Taylor Swift at Madison Square Garden on Friday. While not all could attend, one player was notably absent from the guest list: controversial kicker Harrison Butker, who has been Kelce's teammate since 2017, according to the Daily Mail.
Butker's Controversial Remarks
Butker's sexist remarks during a 2024 commencement address at Benedictine College prompted several Chiefs players, including Kelce, to openly voice their disapproval. In spring 2024, months after Kelce and Kansas City's third Super Bowl triumph, Butker delivered a speech about women's roles during the ceremony. "I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you," Butker declared. "Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world. I can tell you that my beautiful wife, Isabelle, would be the first to say her life truly started when she started living her vocation as a wife and as a mother."
Kelce's Response
Kelce hit back at Butker's remarks on a subsequent episode of the podcast he co-hosts with his brother Jason, 'New Heights'. "When it comes down to his views and what he said at the Saint Benedict's commencement speech, those are his. I can't say I agree with the majority of it or just about any of it outside of just him loving his family and his kids," Kelce said. Travis's brother was equally forthright. "Make no mistake about it, the things he said in the commencement speech are not things that I align myself with," he shared. "But he's giving a commencement speech at a Catholic university, and shocker, it ended up being a very religious speech."
Wedding Attendees
Numerous other NFL stars were seen at Madison Square Garden on Friday, among the approximately 1,200 attendees in New York City. Those present included Kareem Hunt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Cooper Kupp, George Kittle, and more. It is widely believed that both Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid were present. Jason Kelce stood as Best Man for his brother in a ceremony held without any additional groomsmen. Kelce himself had previously served as a groomsman at Patrick Mahomes' wedding back in 2019.
A host of A-list celebrities turned out for the momentous occasion, amongst them Adam Sandler, Hugh Grant, Jason Sudeikis, and numerous others, including Swift's fellow music industry pals. Kelce and Swift embarked on their very public romance in 2023, with her appearances at NFL matches quickly becoming headline news.
