When country singer Morgan Wallen took the stage at Arrowhead Stadium on Aug. 2 for his concert, he did so with three NFL players hyping the crowd up behind him: Kansas City Chiefs players Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones.
Multiple video angles shared to social media show the four men walk out together as Moneybagg Yo's song, which features Wallen, "WHISKEY WHISKEY" plays.
Wallen appears to be wearing a No. 7 jersey, the jersey number of embattled Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. Butker recently saw significant backlash following his controversial graduation speech at Benedictine College.
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Wallen’s jersey on Aug. 2 said his name on the back, however, not Butker’s, so it is unclear if he meant to pay tribute to Butker. Fans online have pointed out that Wallen often wears the No. 7 and was his jersey number in high school. The singer also has a song called “7 Summers,” which he released in 2021.
In his May 11 address, Butker spoke on a range of topics, including reproductive issues, women’s roles in the home, Pride month and more. He also addressed the women in the graduating class, saying that they had been told “the most diabolical lies.” He shared that his wife’s life “really started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother.”
Both Mahomes and Kelce have said they don't share Butker's views. Kelce said that despite their differences, he "cherishes" Butker as a teammate and Mahomes said he believes the kicker is "a great person."
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“And that might not be the same values as I have,” Mahomes said in May. “But at the same time, I’m going to judge him by the character that he shows every single day and that’s a great person. And we’ll continue to move along and try to help build each other up to make ourselves better every single day.”
Morgan Wallen's previous controversies
Wallen has not been without his own controversies. Earlier this year, police arrested Wallen after he allegedly threw a chair off a rooftop bar in downtown Nashville.
In a statement after the incident, Wallen apologized.
"I’m not proud of my behavior, and I accept responsibility. I have the utmost respect for the officers working every day to keep us all safe,” he said at the time.
Wallen faces three counts of felony reckless endangerment and one count of misdemeanor for the incident, according to Metro Nashville PD. Local ABC station, WKRN, reports the singer's lawyer confirmed he will appear in court on the charges later this month.
In 2021, Wallen was caught on video using the N-word and other expletives. After the incident, some radio stations temporarily suspended his music and the Academy of Country Music barred him from nominations at that year's awards. Later, Wallen apologized in a nearly five-minute video for his actions and met with Black leaders, whom he did not identify.
“There’s no excuse. I’ve never made an excuse. I never will make an excuse,” Wallen told Billboard in 2023 about using the slur.
In 2020, Wallen was dropped as a musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” due to blatantly violating COVID-19 protocol before his scheduled appearance on the comedy show. He would go on to appear on the show two months later and take part in a sketch about the incident.
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