The sight of my mom standing at the kitchen sink wearing her old No. 44 Cleveland Browns jersey was always comforting to me.

I don’t know where the jersey came from because she grew up a fan of the Green Bay Packers, of all teams. That didn’t matter, though. What mattered was when my mom wore that shirt, it meant she wasn’t going to work as a substitute teacher’s aide with the Butte School District.

It was her shirt that said she was a stay-at-home mom that day.

Days when my mom stayed home were always the best. It wasn’t just because I didn’t have to go to a baby sitter after school, though that was a nice touch. I just liked having my mom home.

I imagined that every kid felt the way.

Unfortunately, my mom didn’t stay home very often. She needed to work so our family wouldn’t starve.

My dad is a staunch union electrician, and he lost his job when the mines closed in Butte. During much of the 1980s, he was forced to go all around the country for work, sending home what money he could.

It wasn’t enough, so my mom had to work.

She would usually go to her job somewhere in the school district. Then, she would go to another job where she would clean someone else’s home before coming home and cooking dinner.

Somehow, our house always stayed immaculately clean, too.

Now north of 70, my mom is still working most days of the school year as a substitute teacher. She is an amazing person who is still a great supporter and role model to her three boys, even now that we are all middle-aged men

Kansas City Chiefs place kicker Harrison Butker apparently wouldn’t like that one bit.

In addition to spouting some homophobic talking points you might hear from an alt-right radio talk show host, the Chiefs kicker basically told the graduating young women of Benedictine College to “stay in the kitchen” during his commencement address on May 11.

In his speech, Butker sounded like Franklin Hart Jr. in the 1980 movie “9 to 5.” That is to say that he sounded a bit like a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.

Well, maybe not the lying part, but the rest of it is spot on with Dabney Coleman’s character in that Dolly Parton movie.

The aftermath of Butker’s address has drawn so many different responses. The most puzzling one is that the sales of Butker’s No. 7 Chiefs jersey have gone through the roof.

I would imagine those jerseys are being sold to the kind of people who watched “All in the Family” and didn’t realize that Archie Bunker was making fun of them.

The other puzzling response is the call for the Chiefs to cut Butker because of his 1850s point of view. Hundreds of thousands of people have signed petitions demanding that the team to get rid of a guy who is one of the best players in the league at his position.

Yes, he is just the kicker. But if the Chiefs had a lesser kicker, they wouldn’t have as many Super Bowl titles in the Patrick Mahomes era.

As disgusting as we might find his words, we have to remember they are just that. They are words. Freedom of speech means letting people spout off opinions that are different from ours.

Yes, Butker’s views seem to be of the Neanderthal variety, but he should have the right to express those views without losing his job kicking a football.

That should go for every person, regardless of his or her profession. If we start firing people for their personal views, the unemployment rate will go through the roof.

If Chiefs did suddenly grow a moral compass and release the kicker, he would be out of work four about 15 seconds before another team picked him up.

The NFL inducted Ray Lewis into the Hall of Fame, and he pled guilty to obstruction of justice in a double murder case.

The league has turned a blind eye to domestic and child abusers. It has given second chances to sexual assaulters. So, if you’re expecting the league to suddenly develop a social conscience over a kicker, do not hold your breath.

The only way Butker is losing his job is if he starts missing kicks.

It is baffling as to why Benedictine College would want a speaker with such archaic views for its commencement ceremony. Perhaps the school didn’t know what he was going to say.

More likely, many at the private religious school probably share in his world views.

Thankfully, those views are becoming more and more out of date.

Many of the women who were graduating were clearly in shock by the insulting comments. Many men were, too. As a guy with a mother, wife and two daughters, I found the comments a bit off-putting, to say the least.

But, here’s the thing. Those women in the crowd — or the girls listening at home or on the internet — are not going to listen to this boob and suddenly give up on their hopes and dreams.

If anything, they will become even more driven for success as they are introduced to the very real chauvinistic threat that they will face in the “real world.”

If a woman decides to be a stay-at-home mother, good for her. The same goes for fathers.

I wanted to be a stay-at-home dad. I never minded changing diapers, making lunch and cleaning up around the house.

Now that the kids are old enough to take care of themselves, I could have all kinds of time to work on my golf game.

However, my wife has always selfishly refused to get the second — or third — job it would require for me to pull that off.

Likewise, I have never made enough money for our family to live off of my income.

Butker’s wife can stay at home with the kids because her husband signed a six-year, $21 million contract in 2019. Also, she chooses to stay at home.

A lot of women would choose the profession of “homemaker,” as Butker put it, if their husband made that kind of money. Many, though, would still rather focus on their careers.

I have an amazing amount of respect for both decisions.

I have zero respect for Butker’s silly opinion, even though he clearly has the right to express it.

More than anything, it is disappointing that Butker decided to tell the women they should strive to be servants for their men — especially during a college graduation.

He had a chance to help lift some graduating students and give them a boost as they hit the world. Instead, he decided to be a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot.

Well, maybe not the lying part.

Yes, Butker has the right to say what he said. Of course, we also have the right to call out his bigoted and chauvinistic remarks. Actually, it is more of a duty.

That so many people are ridiculing him on social media is the best reaction of all to Butker’s words.

Post those funny memes. Point at him and laugh. Boo him when he kicks. Cheer for him to suddenly go into a cold streak that will force his team to find a new kicker.

When it comes time to buy a new football jersey, look for a better option than Kansas City No. 7. Maybe even consider a Cleveland Browns jersey — just not handsy quarterback Deshaun Watson’s No. 4.

I might recommend No. 44.

After all, it always looked great on my mom.

— Bill Foley, who also recommends a No. 34 Chicago Bears jersey, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.