Malcolm Butler Denies Committing 'Ridiculous Activities' That He Was Benched for During Super Bowl LII
The New England Patriots' main cornerback, Malcolm Butler, recently denied all the "ridiculous activities" that he allegedly committed leading to him being benched the entire Super Bowl LII.
Patriots fans might have been wondering why Butler, who was responsible for about 98 percent of the defensive snaps in the games he participated in for the whole 2017 regular season, was never called to play last Sunday. With a game contribution of this magnitude, it is safe to say that a tight game could have turned in favor of the Patriots if Butler had been given the chance to play.
The Philadelphia Eagles snagged their first-ever Super Bowl win over the Patriots, 41-33, that day.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Days after the Super Bowl and following a blur of rumors, Butler cleared the air and released a statement through his official social media pages.
"During the Super Bowl week, I never attended any concert, missed curfew, or participated any of the ridiculous activities being reported. They are not only false, but hurtful, to me and my family," Butler said.
The Patriots player also apologized for any offensive language "reported immediately after the game during a very emotional time." Butler was likely referring to the ESPN report by Mike Reiss where the cornerback was quoted saying shortly after their Super Bowl loss: "They gave up on me. F***. It is what it is."
There have been various reports pointing to Butler's behavior ahead of the night of the Super Bowl that might have convinced head coach Bill Belichick to bench his best cornerback during the most important football game of the year.
Butler was accused of violating several team rules while they were at Minneapolis, days before the Super Bowl match, including a time when he allegedly went back to their hotel beyond curfew and attended a Rick Ross concert. Some also mentioned an underwhelming performance during a practice game.
Then, in an Instagram video, former Patriots player Brandon Browner suggested several reasons for why Butler may have been benched. "For weed? For curfew? Man, do y'all history. ... Patriots [are] a team that give guys second chances. ... Like every job, there's always favorites, and lil' bro wasn't a favorite," Browner said.
