Former New England Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola suggested that his teammates were not happy to see cornerback Malcolm Butler benched in the Super Bowl.
Speaking to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, Amendola, who has since joined the Miami Dolphins, hinted that he didn’t think much of the decision to keep Butler sidelined.
“I have my thoughts about it because I was out there putting my blood, sweat and tears out on the field that night, and one of our best players wasn’t on the field,” Amendola said. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know why. I did ask, but I didn’t get any answers. I can’t make decisions like that, so I don’t necessarily worry about it, but I know Malcolm is a great player and he could have helped us win. For whatever reason, he wasn’t out there. He’s going to play more football in his career, and he’s going to be a great player for a long time.”
Amendola added that he sensed his teammates felt similarly.
“Yeah, I did, honestly,” Amendola said. “Nobody really got an explanation for it. He’s a brother of ours. He was a brother of ours that year. And I hate to see a guy who worked so hard throughout the season not get a chance to play in the biggest game of the year and really get no explanation for it. With that said, I don’t know how the business aspect went into that decision. I don’t know how the personal aspect went into that decision between him and Bill [Belichick]. But as a friend, I would have loved to see him on the field that day.”
It’s safe to say Patriots players were confused at the time and are still confused now. It’s very easy to see why. If a key player was held out of the biggest game of the season with no explanation, it’s probably going to frustrate his teammates.
