Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker reiterated his convictions Friday evening following an intense response to his viral May 11 commencement address at Benedictine College, the Daily Wire first reported.

Butker made his first public remarks since the speech at the Regina Caeli Academy’s (RCA) “Courage Under Fire Gala” in Nashville, attending as a board member of the school. The Chiefs kicker began by thanking guests and attendees at the event before pivoting to the theme of the gala, “Courage Under Fire,” which he noted “was decided many months ago.”

“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now. Over the past few days, my beliefs — or what people think I believe — have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe. At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate,” Butker stated.

Butker continued to note the differences between receiving backlash from the NFL to now, and noted how he is standing by his faith.

“If it wasn’t clear that the timeless Catholic values are hated by many, it is now. Over the past few days, my beliefs — or what people think I believe — have been the focus of countless discussions around the globe. At the outset, many people expressed a shocking level of hate,” Butker stated.

Butker continued to note the differences between receiving backlash from the NFL to now, and noted how he is standing by his faith.

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“If I constantly remind myself of the hardships the saints went through — especially the martyrs in their persecution — it makes it all seem not so bad. For if Heaven is our goal, we should embrace our cross — however large or small it may be — and live our life with joy to be a bold witness to Christ,” Butker said.

During Butker’s commencement speech at Benedectine College, a portion of his remarks encouraged “homemakers,” receiving applause from the audience; however, critics gave mixed reviews. A petition for “sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-abortion and racist” Butker to be fired from his NFL position has racked up over 100,000 signatures on Change.org.

Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Chiefs, defended Butker’s right to make the comments, though he didn’t necessarily agree with his opinion.

Kelce’s brother, Jason, a former center for the Philadelphia Eagles, however, opted to respond with a humorous reaction.

In addition to Butker’s encouragement towards women, the kicker criticized President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion. Regardless of the pushback, sales of Butker’s jersey skyrocketed, ranking among the top 72 of 8,197 total jerseys featured as the team’s best-sellers list.

ifeNews Note: Hailey Gomez writes for Daily Caller. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience.