Malcolm Butler has handled his benching in Super Bowl LII about as well as anyone could as for, but the star cornerback experienced plenty of raw emotion while watching his teammates lose to the Philadelphia Eagles. In fact, there were times during the game when he wanted to confront the coaching staff.
In an interview with Amazon’s Sports Illustrated TV channel, Butler opened up about having to restrain himself during his final game with the Patriots.
"This how we gonna end this?"
Malcolm Butler reveals what went through his mind on the sideline of Super Bowl LII on SI TV: https://t.co/lhSgbhaFGf pic.twitter.com/HbgTctAJsK
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 30, 2018
“There was times when I was on the sideline and I just wanted to go up to (Bill) Belichick or (defensive coordinator) Matt Patricia and just say, ‘This is how we gonna end this?'” Butler recalled. “I grew up in the Patriots system and I’m a man of God. I respect my authority and I just couldn’t ask them to do something they didn’t want to do.
“I just was doing my job. I was close to going up there and saying what I wanted to say to Matt or Belichick, but I just stayed in my lane and did my job. I really wanted to go ask him, but I didn’t.”
Even if the decision made absolutely no sense to outside viewers or many of his own teammates, Butler showed a great deal of self-control by putting the team before himself. He has alluded to the fact that he missed some practice time with an illness before the Super Bowl, so it’s possible Belichick felt he wasn’t prepared enough for the game. After New England’s defense was torched throughout the entire first half, Belichick should have made an adjustment and put Butler in.
That’s all in the past now, and Butler still landed a five-year contract with the Tennessee Titans that will pay him around $12 million annually. He also knows how his former teammates feel about him from some of the things they wrote on social media. While his time with the Patriots came to an unfortunate end, life could be worse for Butler.
