Bill Belichick did not want to talk about his controversial decision to bench Malcolm Butler in the Super Bowl in the days after his New England Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, so you can just imagine how he feels about it now. That didn’t stop a reporter from going there on the eve of training camp.
On Wednesday morning, Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe told Belichick he would not be doing his job if he didn’t ask about last season and the Butler situation. Belichick quickly shut the question down, but Shaughnessy wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Things got awkward in a hurry:
WATCH: Bill Belichick when asked about Malcolm Butler's Super Bowl benching, "Last year is last year."
He refused to go there. @ABC6 pic.twitter.com/ouBzsoHFI5
— Ian Steele (@IanSteeleABC6) July 25, 2018
“Every day that I’ve coached here, I’ve done the best that I could for this football team and I’ll continue to do that,” Belichick said. “Right now my focus is on the 2018 season — not 2017, not 2014, not 2007, not 2004, not 2001 and not 2000. I’m not focused on any of those seasons. They’re done.”
It’s no secret that Belichick’s decision to bench Butler has created issues with the Patriots, and time will tell if that spills over into this season. One legendary coach insists none of that will matter once things get underway, but that doesn’t mean the questions about it are going to stop.
