Tennis legend Serena Williams has poked fun at controversial NFL player Harrison Butker during a tribute to women’s sports at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion said that women “don’t need” the likes of Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker to celebrate their feats in sports.
After her sister, Venus urged the audience to “Go ahead [and] enjoy women’s sports, just like any other sport, because they are sports.”
Serena added — “Except you, Harrison Butker,” looking directly into the camera. “We don’t need you.”
Her comment elicited laughter and cheers from the crowd.
“Abbott Elementary” creator and star Quinta Brunson, who was onstage with the sisters, added: “At all … like ever.”
Butker was in the audience at the Dolby Theater, but his reaction was not caught on camera.
The three women were responding to comments Butker made in May during a commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas where the father of two encouraged female graduates to embrace being a “homemaker.”
“For the ladies present today … I want to speak directly to you briefly, because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you,” he said during the twenty- minute address to the Catholic liberal arts college.
“How many of you are sitting here now, about to cross this stage, and are thinking about all the promotions and titles you are going to get in your career? 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 began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother. I’m on this stage today and able to be the man that I am because I have a wife who leans into her vocation.”
Several weeks later, Butker doubled down on his comments, saying it was “not people, but Jesus Christ who I’m trying to please”.
After last week’s ESPY Awards, the 28-year old released a statement describing Williams as a “great host” who failed to use the “opportunity” for good.
“I thought Mrs. Williams was a great host and applaud her for using her platform to express her beliefs on a variety of topics,” Butker told NBC Sports.
“Sports are supposed to be the great unifier. And at an event dedicated to celebrating a diverse group of men and women who have accomplished great feats, she used it as an opportunity to disinvite those with whom she disagrees with from supporting fellow athletes.”
During her opening monologue at last week’s ESPY Awards, Serena Williams also took aim at the gender pay gap by mentioning one of the “craziest stories in sports this year.”
The story she was referencing was that of Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani’s English interpreter, who was revealed to have stolen more than US$16 million dollars over two years.
The Dodgers two-way superstar was friends with his interpreter before it was discovered that he had stolen funds from his 30-year old sport star friend to pay off gambling debts.
Williams said, “Y’all, male athletes get paid so much more than female athletes that they don’t even notice losing $16 million.”
“Believe me, I would have noticed,” she added.