One of the major story lines after Super Bowl LII was the benching of New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler.
Five years later, Butler still isn’t ready to discuss in detail why he didn’t play a snap on defense in the Patriots’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Apparently, some more information on the matter could becoming soon though.
“Like I always say, man, it was a coaching decision,” Butler said during an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub at Super Bowl LVII Radio Row on Thursday.. “It was a coach’s decision. But I really don’t know, man. There’s a documentary coming out where I’m talking about all that. I did that with some of the guys in New England. And I’ve got a book coming out, also, so I ain’t going to spill the beans right now. But it’ll be something to look forward to.”
Butler went on to say that he thinks only head coach Bill Belichick knows the true reason why one of his top defenders was limited to a solitary special teams play in the biggest game of the year.
“I think he only knows why. I don’t know why,” Butler said. “It’s a coaching decision. I did play though. I had one punt return rep. That wasn’t enough.”
Butler had played every defensive snap in New England’s two playoff wins that year after appearing on 98% of the defensive plays during the regular season.
There were plenty of rumors flying regarding the reason for his absence in Super Bowl LII, but Butler argued that any whispers about him committing a serious violation of team rules don’t make sense.
“(Belichick) didn’t give me an explanation,” he said, “But all the rumors that were going around (about) why I didn’t play — if I did something so bad, why did I come back?”
Butler went on to play for the Tennessee Titans from 2018-20 and signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021 before retiring abruptly.
He then came out of retirement to make his return to the Patriots before the 2022 season, but an injury during the summer led to his release.
[ NESN ]