How Super Bowl Week Brought Back Mysterious Malcolm Butler Conspiracy

Will anyone ever know why the New England Patriots benched Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII?

Just four days after the 10th anniversary of his heroic interception to seal the Patriots’ win in Super Bowl XLIX, Butler joined 98.5 The Sports’ Hub’s “Felger and Mazz” at Radio Row from New Orleans. The conversation eventually made its way to Super Bowl LII where Butler dressed for the game then did not play on defense after cameras captured him in tears on the sideline during the national anthem.

Butler got asked about the benching yet again and, to the surprise of nobody, the answer stayed the same as it’s always been in the public eye.

“Coach’s decision,” Butler said, as transcribed by Mike Kadlick.

Without their talented cornerback, New England’s defense got picked apart by Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles in a 41-33 loss. Tom Brady and the offense produced and the quarterback set a Super Bowl record with 505 passing yards. That’s what makes the Butler decision so strange and what could have been with one more defensive playmaker on the field.

Butler won rings with the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX and LI then returned for a quick second stint in training camp ahead of his retirement in 2022.