Most people questioned Bill Belichick’s decision to bench Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII, but the father of the New England Patriots’ most important player isn’t giving it a second thought.
Butler only saw one special teams snap in the Patriots’ matchup with the Eagles, which saw Philadelphia capture its first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history with a 41-33 win. Considering how handily Nick Foles and the Eagles offense thrashed New England’s defense, it’s tough to imagine Butler couldn’t have made some impact on the game.
But for Tom Brady Sr., he’s watched enough Patriots football over the past 18 years to understand how Belichick operates. In an interview with The Boston Globe’s Christopher Gasper, the Patriots quarterback’s dad explained why he didn’t dwell on Butler’s Super Bowl benching.
“He (Belichick) is going to put out the people he thought could win the game for him,” Tom Brady Sr. told Gasper. “I don’t have any questions about Belichick’s loyalty to the Patriots and desire to win the game. It’s the only way I could look at it. I don’t think he would do anything less; it doesn’t serve his purpose to do anything less than try to go all out to win.”
There were rumors that Butler had violated team rules leading up to Feb. 4 contest, but the star corner vehemently has denied doing anything of the sort. Belichick, in typical fashion, has chalked the decision up as nothing more than a football decision.
Butler’s benching prompted a harsh reaction from a few Patriots players, but the team’s star QB took a much different approach. After Butler took to social media to share his side of the ordeal, TB12 praised the Super Bowl XLIX hero for being “an incredible player and teammate and friend.”
So, it looks like the Brady brunch won’t be holding any grudge regarding this particular issue.
