Mike Florio Claims Harrison Butker Is Kicking For His Job This Season Because Of Speech

Woke All-Star Mike Florio says Harrison Butker is kicking for his job this season.

Florio says Butker must continue to prove he's one of the best kickers in the NFL to make up for his commencement address at Benedictine College last week – which bad-faith actors dishonestly depicted as sexist, transphobic, and antisemitic. 

"The Chiefs are treating the [Butker] issue as no big deal because they don’t want Butker to be a big deal when football season rolls around," Florio wrote. "They want the situation to be forgotten. They want Butker to not be burdened by the blowback, or the blowback to the blowback."

He then comes in with the ominous warning. 

"If, for whatever reason, Butker suddenly can’t kick like he has in seven seasons with the Chiefs," he wrote, "He won’t be the Chiefs’ kicker for long."

Florio's Criticism of Butker Is Pandering

Florio wrote the article, as he does most, to pander. He plays a left-wing agitator on the internet, despite his past suggesting he's anything but.

That said, he's right that the (mostly faux) outrage generated by Butker's comments created a distraction. Reporters bombarded head coach Andy Reid with questions about Butker during an OTA press conference earlier this week.

Take a look:

And Patrick Mahomes:

NFL players are worth as much of a headache as their play warrants. Butker has been one of the best kickers in the NFL over the past two seasons, greatly contributing to the Chiefs' back-to-back Super Bowl wins. 

For a recap, he kicked a 45-yarder sending the Chiefs to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, broke the Super Bowl record with a 57-yarder to keep the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last February, and went 11 for 11 in the postseason. 

If Butker was not so automatic, there's a fair argument that he wouldn't be worth the headlines – even when considering his commencement address was harmless.

We don't take any enjoyment in saying that. Butker did nothing wrong. The outrage machine hijacked his message. His comments were fair. His speech represented the feelings of the one side that activists-like athletes too often ignore.

Pressure to Perform

But that's the society in which we live. Those who make news face heightened pressure to perform. And public figures often face more fierce persecution for supposed thought crimes than violent crimes. 

Look at all the NFL players charged with domestic violence who didn't receive a quarter of the pushback as Butker. The list is extensive.

OutKick graphics

So, while the reason Florio posted his article (to pander) is nauseating, unfortunately, he's right about Butker's job security.

The sports media and feminists are not going to forgive Harrison Butker, causing a perpetual migraine for the team on its quest for history by way of a three-peat.

Hopefully, Butker's field goal kicking makes up for the distraction. He isn't the villain here.