'You never burn your bridges': In reunion with Patriots, Malcolm Butler puts Super Bowl benching behind him
The last time Malcolm Butler donned a Patriots uniform, he was crying on the sideline during the national anthem before Super Bowl 52.
Butler played one snap that day – on special teams – and didn’t play at all on defense despite leading the team in defensive snaps that season. He watched from the sideline as Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles put up 41 points in the Patriots' loss.
He was hurt. Livid. Outraged. How could Bill Belichick not play him in the Super Bowl? Despite everything that happened, Butler kept his mouth shut.
He knew he would have helped that day on Feb. 4, 2018. As an upcoming free agent, he knew that was his last game in New England. Despite his disappointment, the one-time Super Bowl hero moved on from his Super Bowl benching. Following that game and before he signed with the Tennessee Titans, Butler and Belichick sat down and discussed what happened that night.
Neither one has opened up about what was said or why Butler was benched. Belichick wouldn’t never give a reason. Despite leaving New England on a sour note, Butler never revealed what the Patriots coach said to him. He never took a parting shot at the organization.
This spring, Butler’s decision to depart on amicable terms paid off. In the Patriots' biggest surprise of the offseason, the 32-year-old cornerback signed a two-year deal to return to New England. On Monday, he talked about his return and said he’ll never discuss what happened in Super Bowl 52.
“No, I ain’t got too much to say about that,” Butler said when asked about the benching. “I’m trying to live in the present. You can’t think about the past all the time. I moved forward from that. I know it’ll always be there, but I haven’t said anything to anybody about anything, so you’re going to have to keep doing your research or whatever you’ve got to do because I’m here for the Patriots and I’m here to be peaceful.
“… It wasn’t hard. You keep business in house. I shared my feelings with Bill Belichick. We had a talk about it like grown men. That’s what we did. That’s in the past. I’m in the present now. It’s 2022 now. It’s a whole four years later now. Can’t live in the past all the time.”
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Belichick reached out to Butler this offseason
After signing with Tennessee in 2018, Butler spent three seasons with the Titans. He joined the Arizona Cardinals last year but retired during training camp. Butler said he wasn’t right mentally and thought the best thing to do for his family was to step away from the game of football.
When he decided to come back this year, he didn’t expect to return to the Patriots. After the way it ended, he figured he’d play elsewhere. However, Belichick reached out to his agent, Derek Simpson, and said he wanted to see Butler in person.
“It came as a surprise. It really did. It came as a surprise,” Butler said. “My agent told me that Bill wanted to talk with me. I was happy. I started working out immediately because I knew it could be a possibility that I could return, and that’s what happened. I’m just blessed to be here. I’m dedicated and I’m committed.”
On March 21, Butler flew to New England, where he worked out for the Patriots and met with his former head coach. Belichick never discussed the Super Bowl benching with Butler. Instead, he was all business. The team wanted to see what kind of shape Butler was in. Belichick wanted to know where he was mentally and if he understood how difficult it could be to return to football after a year off.
“We just talked about the contract. He asked me was I locked in? Was I all in? Ready to play? I told him, ‘Yeah, I am.’ He said, ‘I know you took a year off and the transition is going to be hard since you took a year off,’” Butler said. “He knows I’m up for the challenge. I can take that challenge. I can come in here, work hard and take on any role. No, there wasn’t much to talk about because I’m here to work.”
Butler’s happy he never burned bridges in Foxborough
Butler understands the questions about Super Bowl 52. Those will never go away.
Butler’s story ranks among the most unlikely in NFL history. He made the Patriots roster as a Division II undrafted free agent in 2014. Despite barely playing that season, he made one of the best plays in Super Bowl history when he intercepted Russell Wilson on the goal line to secure a championship for the Patriots.
Butler could’ve faded into obscurity after that and still become a legend in New England. Instead, the next season he replaced Darrelle Revis as the Patriots' top cornerback and earned Pro Bowl honors. The next season, he was named a second-team All-Pro.
The Super Bowl benching, however, turned into a full-blown mystery. Butler played 100% of the Patriots' defensive snaps in the playoffs leading up to that game. The Patriots' defense desperately needed help.
While it remains unknown to the public why he didn't play in that Super Bowl, Butler is glad that he has kept quiet.
“I didn’t expect to come back to New England,” Butler acknowledged. “I always had respect for the New England Patriots – Mr. (Robert) Kraft, Jonathan Kraft, Bill Belichick and one thing I learned, man, you never burn your bridges down. You handle situations as a man and as a grown-up. If I didn’t do that, I don’t think I’d have the opportunity to come back here. I’m pretty sure I made a good decision by acting like a grown man.”
Butler returns to the Patriots, who are looking for somebody to replace J.C. Jackson as their top cornerback. If it happens to be Butler, this would be a great redemption story for the veteran.
It doesn’t always work out for athletes who take a year off, but Butler has defied odds in the past. He says he plans to again.
“It ain’t happening like that over here,” Butler said. “I’m confident. I’ve got it. I worked hard. I didn’t sit on the couch all offseason. I’m confident in myself. I wouldn’t be here if the Patriots didn’t think the same. I’ll defeat those odds. I’m telling you now.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Malcolm Butler puts infamous Super Bowl benching by Patriots in past
