New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson addressed reporters Thursday in Foxboro about a social media post he made supporting a Massachusetts family locked in a custody dispute with the state’s Department of Children and Families over their daughter’s gender identity.
The family, Joseph and Arlene Kutzko, has been trying to regain custody of their teenage daughter since charges were filed against them in January 2025, around the time the parents say they refused to consent to medical procedures intended to transition her to a male.
In his post, Henderson shared a Fox News video clip and quoted Scripture, writing that the parents “want to honor our Lord and lead their daughter into the truth” and adding, “May justice be served.” The post had drawn 3.5 million views as of Thursday evening.
Speaking with reporters ahead of Sunday’s home opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Henderson explained his reasoning.
“I saw the state take away someone’s child because they didn’t want to affirm the daughter as a boy. And I heard that the school, without the parents’ permission, tried to transition a child or do some sort of thing to transition her into a boy. And I don’t believe that’s right,” Henderson said.
He described the Kutzkos as a Catholic family exercising what he called a “God-given right” to raise their daughter according to their faith. “I think that the family did right by not affirming their daughter as a boy, but choosing to affirm her the way that God created her to be as a girl,” he said.
Reporters also asked Henderson about local reports alleging the girl’s father pulled his daughter’s hair and threatened to kill her. Those allegations did not lead to any criminal findings, and all charges against the father are scheduled to be dropped if he stays away from the girl.
“It doesn’t mean that he was guilty of those charges. It’s just accusations,” Henderson said. “I think you’re innocent until you’re proven guilty… I still don’t think that’s right.”
The Boston Herald has reported that the Kutzkos’ attorney, Vernadette Broyles, said a restraining order remains in place against the parents after an unidentified adult helped the child obtain the order while she was in state custody, nearly a year into the case.
Henderson said those details have not changed his position. “I just try to look at this world through a Biblical lens now, and yeah, I feel the calling on my life,” he said. “I’m not here to just play football. I think I have it in my bio that football is what I do, but a child of God is who I am. And so, first and foremost, I’m going to honor God above all else.”
He added that his faith takes precedence over his football career. “With this game or without this game, with money or without money, as long as I have Jesus, I got everything that I need,” Henderson said. “I’ll continue to honor the Lord and live for him, no matter what it costs me, because I know at the end of the day, it’ll all be worth it.”
