‘I probably wouldn’t be where I am today’: Former Patriots CB Malcolm Butler shares appreciation for Bill Belichick
"People wanted me to bash him because of our history … but I’m built different."
Former Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler shared his respect for Bill Belichick following the news of the coach’s departure from New England.
The Super Bowl XLIX hero took to Instagram on Thursday to detail his appreciation for his former head coach.
“I probably wouldn’t be where I am today … if it wasn’t for this man,” Butler wrote under a photo of himself and Belichick.
“This man made me a man … people wanted me to bash him because of our history … but I’m built different.”
Butler instantly became a New England legend when the cornerback intercepted Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson at the goal line with less than 25 seconds remaining to seal the Patriots’ Super Bowl XLIX victory.
Belichick, the Patriots’ former head coach, famously detailed his decision to let Seattle run the play by electing not to call a timeout in the “Do Your Job” documentary about the 2014-15 New England team.
The film explained that the Patriots ran the exact play in practice leading up to the Super Bowl, a play in which Butler failed to jump on quickly enough, allowing a touchdown as seen on film. The then-rookie clearly made the adjustment in time for the big game when it mattered most.
Butler’s legendary interception and Belichick’s decision-making in that moment will forever live in Patriots infamy.
Their relationship seemingly took a turn, at least temporarily, three years later during Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Belichick opted to bench Butler, for reasons still unconfirmed, after the player had been on the field for 98 percent of the team’s defensive snaps during the 2017 regular season. He played 100 percent of them in the team’s previous two postseason contests, too.
The Patriots ultimately fell to the Eagles 41-33 in a nail-biter, marking the franchise’s fifth all-time Super Bowl loss.
Belichick has been asked about his decision to sit Butler in Super Bowl LII numerous times since, but he’s never budged.
Butler said on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Feb. 2023 that he would detail his side of the story in an upcoming documentary and book, but those have yet to be released. He also said he doesn’t know why he was benched, calling it a coach’s decision.
Nevertheless, speculation about the reasoning behind Butler’s benching has swirled. In his book “It’s Better to be Feared”, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham said an argument with then-defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in a practice before the Super Bowl led to his benching.
Patricia was apparently unhappy with Butler’s performance during practice, leading to a dispute between the two, and eventually the player’s benching, according to Wickersham.
Despite what went down in the days leading up to and on Feb. 4, 2018, Belichick and Butler reunited during the preseason in 2022 when the player signed with the Patriots again. Butler’s stint was short-lived, though, as an injury seemingly ended his career before the regular season began.
Butler made it clear in his Instagram post that the past is behind him, and he’s thankful for Belichick’s impact on him as an athlete and as a person.
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