Although the Kansas City Chiefs tight end didn't agree with his teammate's polarizing commencement speech at Benedictine College's May 11 graduation ceremony, one that included a nod toTaylor Swift, he feels everyone is entitled to their beliefs.
"I cherish him as a teammate," Travis told older brother Jason Kelce on the May 24 episode of their podcast New Heights. "He's treated family and family that I've introduced to him with nothing but respect and kindness. And that's how he treats everyone."
"When it comes down to his views and what he said at Saint Benedict's commencement speech, those are his," he continued. "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. And I don't think that I should judge him by his views, especially his religious views, of how to go about life, that's just not who I am."
The 34-year-old also noted that his childhood in Ohio played a role in how he views others.
"I grew up in a beautiful upbringing of different social classes, different religions, different races and ethnicities, in Cleveland Heights, and that's why I love Cleveland Heights for what it was," he said, "It showed me a broad spectrum, just a broad view of a lot of different walks of life. And I appreciated every single one of those people for different reasons, and I never once had to feel like I needed to judge them based off of their beliefs."
And for Travis and Jason, their parents Donna Kelce and Ed Kelce took on both roles.
"Both my mother and my father made home what it was," Travis noted. "They were homemakers and they were providers and they were unbelievable at being present every single day in my life. That was a beautiful upbringing for me."
But that doesn't mean he expects other parents to follow suit. But he added, "I certainly, sure as hell, thank my parents and love my parents for being able to provide and making sure that home was what it was."
Jason echoed Travis' thoughts and pointed out that Harrison's speech was delivered at a religious college.
"Make no mistake about it, a lot of the things he said in his commencement speech are not things that I align myself with," Jason—who shares daughters Wyatt, 4, Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, 15 months with wife Kylie Kelce—emphasized. "But, he's giving a commencement speech at a Catholic university, and, shocker, it ended up being a very religious and Catholic speech."
"To me," the former Philadelphia Eagles center reflected, "I can listen to somebody talk and take great value in it, like when he's talking about the importance of family and the importance that a great mother can make, while also acknowledge that not everybody has to be a homemaker if that's not what they want to do in life."
Keep reading to see all the stars who had some thoughts about Harrison's commencement speech.
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