Thursday 15 March 2018 16:31, UK
Malcolm Butler signed with the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday, officially leaving New England, but he still hasn't had an explanation for his Super Bowl benching.
The Titans were very active in the early stages of free agency, adding a pair of former Patriots in running back Dion Lewis and cornerback Butler. They also locked up starting guard Josh Kline to a four-year deal to keep a strong offensive line intact.
But the 28-year-old corner, who is signing a five-year, $61m deal in Nashville, has been the subject of a lot of intrigue this off-season. He spoke to the Boston Herald on his way out of Foxborough about his mystery benching in Super Bowl LII.
"I never got a reason," Butler said. But he went on to explain why he may have been left out of the game plan at the last minute.
"I feel like this was the reason: I got kind of sick. I went to the hospital. They probably thought I was kind of late on the game plan," Butler said. "I wasn't as locked in as I should be and could have been a matchup deal. It could have been anything.
"But Bill Belichick has been doing this for a very long time. He took a veteran out of Super Bowl XLIX (against the Seahawks) and put in a first-year rookie, and that turned out right, so you could never question his decisions. It didn't work out right (against the Eagles). It didn't work out the best for me or him or the New England Patriots."
In that Super Bowl against Seattle, in 2015, Butler made one of the most memorable plays in NFL history with a game-saving interception of Russell Wilson on the goal line. But it wouldn't have been possible without veteran Kyle Arrington being benched, allowing Butler to see the field.
This time around, Butler sat on the sidelines, crying before and during the game, while his team was torn apart by the Philadelphia Eagles in a 41-33 defeat.
Despite still not getting the explanation he was looking for, Butler heaped praise on Bill Belichick and the Patriots organisation.
"But I can say he won more than he lost, so it is what it is. I always have love for New England, Bill Belichick, Mr. Kraft, all those guys. Life just goes on."
"From the custodians to Belichick, all the way to Mr. Kraft, I love those guys, my team-mates," Butler emphasised. "I like everything about New England, especially the fans. Those fans, they really had love for me and they still do. I will always remember where I came from, and I never could forget."
As for how he recovered from the feeling of being held out and watching the game from the sidelines, Butler says he managed just fine.
"I just had to keep moving, man," he said.
"I recovered pretty fast. You can't change the past. Whatever happens, happens. I just had to keep moving forward. I always knew I had a bright future ahead of me.
"It was just time to move on," he said. "Even when you're not ready to move on, you've got to move on, so I just kept moving on, just tried to keep my confidence up and rebuild everything from the ground up."
Butler will certainly feel at home in Tennessee, which is quickly becoming 'New England South'. As well as joining at the same time as Lewis, Titans defensive back Logan Ryan is also a former Patriot. Both general manager Jon Robinson and first-year head coach Mike Vrabel have New England ties too.
With them, and the $60m he is due to receive, Butler might just get over the benching sooner rather than later.
Free agency may be in full flow but we will also have all three days live of the NFL Draft on @SkySportsNFL at the end of April
Neil Reynolds will host a preview show, a wrap show after day one and another wrap after the final day. Stay tuned to @SkySportsNFL for more details in the coming days
