Malcolm Butler’s tears are forever a part of the Super Bowl lore. If Butler had played or even if the New England Patriots had won, no one would remember his outbursts on the sideline where he cried before playing just one snap on special teams in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Butler’s benching remains a mystery. Even years removed, former Patriots linebacker James Harrison said he had “no clue” why Butler didn’t play.
“I think that they just actually thought that he just didn’t have it,” Harrison, who is starring in Starz’s “Heels,” said by phone on Friday. “I think that was a part of the process. All this stuff that came out, ‘Oh he was out there doing this. He was doing that.’ That’s a crock of (expletive). That’s not true.”
Was cornerback Eric Rowe, who stood in for Butler, the better matchup for the Eagles receivers?
“I don’t even know about a matchup,” said Harrison, who started for the Patriots in Super Bowl LII and played 91 percent of the defensive snaps. “I just think they thought (Butler) wasn’t up to the task. I don’t know. But I know for sure that all that stuff that was coming out about curfew and all that other (expletive) — that’s a crock of (expletive).
“It’s just not even close to true because that — like I don’t even know what happens if you’re late to a meeting. I’ve never seen a guy late to a meeting (in New England). So for wild allegations of ‘it’s this, it’s that’ and you have not one ounce of (expletive) proof. Come on, man, you all need to stop making up stories to sell papers and get clicks or whatever it is. It’s just bull.”
There was speculation, which went unsubstantiated, that Butler might have missed meetings or missed curfew in Minnesota ahead of the game. Butler openly denied those rumors. Even he has said he doesn’t know why he didn’t play. Bill Belichick, apparently, is going to hold on to that secret forever.
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