Super Bowl LII featured plenty of storylines to digest, but perhaps the most mysterious of all was New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick benching defensive back Malcolm Butler.
Butler did not see one defensive snap in the 41–33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night despite playing 97.8 per cent of defensive snaps during the regular season. Belichick said the decision was football-related and not for disciplinary reasons.
“They gave up on me. [Expletive]. It is what it is,” Butler told ESPN’s Mike Reiss before later adding, “I guess I wasn’t playing good. They didn’t feel comfortable. I could have changed that game, though…. I was just doing my job [on the sidelines] and supporting my teammates. I have nothing but great things to say about the organization. They gave me the opportunity. That’s about it.”
Belichick gave no real explanation for why Butler didn’t play.
“We put the players out there and the game plan out there that we thought would be the best tonight, like we always do,” Belichick said at his post-game media availability.
[relatedlinks]
Butler allowed six scores when in coverage during the regular season, which was tied for third-most in the NFL in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus. But considering Philadelphia put up 538 total yards in the game, it’s hard to imagine the Pats would’ve been worse off if they used Butler even sparingly.
Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who was named head coach of the Detroit Lions Monday afternoon, likewise declined to offer any insight into why Butler wasn’t used.
“We just played all the guys we could to try to help us win in whatever packages we had,” Patricia told reporters. “Different situations came up, and we were just trying to move some things around. We just tried to play all the packages that we could to put everybody out there. He was active for the game and anybody that is active for the game is ready to go. We just had a situation where we had some match-ups and packages that we went with.”
Belichick spoke to reporters again Monday and was asked to give a reason as to why Butler sat.
“I appreciate the question, but it would be a much longer discussion,” Belichick explained. “There are a lot of things that go into that. In the end, the final decision is what I said it was…. I respect Malcolm’s competitiveness. I’m sure that he felt like he could’ve helped. I’m sure other players felt the same way. In the end, we have to make decisions that are best for the football team.”
Eric Rowe started in Butler’s place. Rowe, like many Patriots defenders, struggled in the game and said afterwards the team could’ve “definitely” used Butler’s help.
The Eagles were also among those surprised by Butler’s absence.
“After the first series or two we were like, ‘This guy’s not in the game! They have 23 [Patrick Chung] in there. That’s crazy!’” an unnamed Eagles offensive assistant told Sports Illustrated’s Andy Benoit.
Belichick’s decision drew the ire of former Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner, who posted an expletive-laden Instagram rant about Butler being benched.
“Man, Bill wasn’t right at all tonight. I didn’t know how to feel watching that [expletive] without my homie playing, without Malcolm [expletive] playing,” Browner wrote. “You play every game of the season but the Super Bowl. You feel me? I can’t rock with that. That was a [expletive] call, [expletive] decision. That was a power trip…. You divide the locker room when you do that.”
Butler was in tears prior to Leslie Odom Jr.’s rendition of “America the Beautiful” but it remains unclear if that was due to him learning he was being benched or for other reasons.
The 27-year-old made a name for himself three years ago when he intercepted Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIX to secure the franchise’s fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Butler was named to the Pro Bowl in 2015 and selected as a second-team All-Pro in 2016. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the off-season.