One of the biggest mysteries in NFL history is why did Bill Belichick bench Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII
Malcolm Butler was the hero of Super Bowl XLIX. His goal-line interception of Russell Wilson's pass with the game on the line is something we see in movies. It was just another magical moment in the Patriot 20 dynasty.
Three years later, the cornerback out of the University of West Alabama, whose name is synonymous with great Super Bowl moments, was benched on the sidelines and barely played in Super Bowl LII.
To this day, nobody really knows why, or maybe nobody has the guts to say why. Some argue that Butler not being on the field to take on the Eagles' high-powered, Nick Foles-led offense cost the Patriots what would have been another Super Bowl win in the back half of the Patriots' longtime run.
There is so much tight-lippedness on this matter that even in the Apple+ documentary series, The Dynasty, nobody, not even Malcolm Butler, spilled the beans, and that was a doc that really did dive deep into the inner workings of the end of their run. With the Patriots and the Seahawks set to square off again in the Super Bowl, Malcolm Butler is back in the media. The former Patriots corner sat down with the 98.5 The Sports Hub show Zolak and Bertrand and was pressed on Belichick's decision almost a decade ago.
"No, I don't think he was right," Butler said. "Like, he's a great coach, but he wasn't right. If I would have played like I always say, we would have had another ring."
All the theories surrounding Belichick's decision were thrown out the window. Butler partied the night before and broke curfew, then got into a fight with Steve Belichick; Butler denied all of that.
The Super Bowl XLIX savior would leave after the benching and play for Mike Vrabel and the Tennessee Titans for a few more years. He would then resign with the Patriots in 2022 but be placed on IR that season and never play a snap in his return stint to the team. His return sparked a theory that he was receiving hush money from the Patriots. A theory that Bertrand touched on in the interview that Butler debunked.
When Butler was pressed about what Belichick told him about the benching in the Super Bowl against the Eagles, he replied simply by saying, "You've got to call the Tar Heels."
It seems no matter who you ask, only Bill Belichick is the one who truly knows what happened when it came to benching Butler.