Why didn’t Malcolm Butler play in Super Bowl LII? Five years later, we still haven’t gotten a legitimate answer to that question.
But additional details about that fateful night in Minnesota could soon come to light.
The former New England Patriots cornerback on Thursday said he still doesn’t know why he sat against the Philadelphia Eagles, but that he has a documentary and book coming out that will tell his side of the infamous benching.
“Like I always say, man, it was a coaching decision,” Butler said during an interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” on Super Bowl LVII Radio Row. “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.”
Bill Belichick’s refusal to explain why Butler — who’d played 98% of snaps during the 2017 regular season and 100% in the Patriots’ first two playoff games — only saw the field for one special teams snap in New England’s Super Bowl loss fueled wild speculation about the reason for his demotion.
Butler didn’t address any of those rumors directly but asked why the Patriots would have brought him back for a second stint last spring if he’d committed any serious team rules violation.
“(Belichick) didn’t give me an explanation,” Butler 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 was asked whether the Patriots signed him last year as a sort of thank-you for his professional handling of the situation. The undrafted Super Bowl XLIX hero never publicly bashed Belichick or the Patriots following the benching, even after he signed with the Tennessee Titans a month later.
“That probably could have been why,” said Butler, who came out of retirement to rejoin the Patriots. “But I’m just going to be me anyway. I’m a respectable guy. I’m not going to bring no attention to myself if I don’t need to. But you never know who you’re going to meet or where you’ve got to go back to. You’re probably right. It was just a respect thing or whatever.”
Butler’s Patriots reunion was short-lived. The 32-year-old participated in spring practice and training camp with the team but was placed on injured reserve in mid-August and released with an injury settlement two weeks later. He worked out for the Miami Dolphins in October but has yet to sign with another team.
Asked whether he still has hopes of playing again, Butler said he is working out and has yet to file his retirement papers. It’s unclear when his documentary and book will be released.
