Kansas City Chiefs' kicker sees surge in jersey sales following graduation speech

Controversy around the Kansas City Chiefs' kicker Harrison Butker has apparently led to a surge in the sales of his jersey, number seven, after he delivered a polarizing speech on LGBT rights, abortion, and President Joe Biden.

Butker, who is just 28, spoke to a crowd of Catholic college graduates during a commencement ceremony on Saturday, where he attacked Biden's political stances on abortion, IVF treatments, and LGBTQ rights, and asserted they were at odds with the Catholic church.

"Bad policies and poor leadership have negatively impacted major life issues," Butker said at Benedictine College. "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. Our own nation is led by a man who publicly and proudly proclaims his Catholic faith, but at the same time is delusional enough to make the sign of the cross during a pro-abortion rally."

The comments also appear to have prompted an alleged doxxing incident from the Kansas City X account, where the city shared that Butker lived in a smaller suburb of Kansas City. The account has since deleted the original post and apologized for the "error." But despite the backlash, the kicker's jersey has surged in popularity, and is one of the most sought after items on the National Football League's (NFL) online shop as of Thursday, according to Fox News.

The NFL has not commented on the spike in jersey sales, but claimed that Butker's views are not "those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger," according to the Associated Press.

Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes's jersey is also one of the most popular in the NFL store as of Thursday. Mahomes wears number 15.