In fact, given that the head coach is notoriously cagey and tends to divulge as little on the record as humanly possible, such a candid proclamation would be as refreshing as a big ol’ plastic cup of Sam Adams Oktoberfest at a Gilette Stadium tailgate. He’s got nothing to lose dispelling this strange yarn. He could tank his way to a 3-13 record this year and still earn a parade in his honor (assuming that leads to drafting Trevor Lawrence No. He’s one of the great coaches in the history of sports no matter what else happens. So, why not kill off the conspiracy theories and loose talk about benching a Pro Bowler at long last? This would suggest that Belichick is perhaps approaching the endgame in Foxborough. They might still squeeze out an AFC East title this season, but the fact remains that they’d be doing harm to their long-term situation by doing so. “The grassy knoll still exists,” Vereen told Boston’s WEEI sports radio this week.įolks, the Patriots’ dynasty of the last two decades is over.

Shane Vereen hasn't gotten same answer twice as to why Malcolm Butler didn't play in Super Bowl vs. Why did Bill Belichick bench Malcolm Butler for Super Bowl 52? With this in mind, it’s past due for Bill Belichick to clear the air once and for all.

Just about everyone (including Butler himself) insisted they knew the “real” reason why this happened, but former Pats running back Shane Vereen just reminded all of us that the story is far from settled. New England lost to a backup quarterback. He did appear on special teams, but the Pro Bowler and esteemed member of the Patriots’ All-Decade Team for the 2010s didn’t log a single defensive snap in that game. In a hypothetical power ranking of scandals (both real and imagined) regarding the New England Patriots under the tenure of Bill Belichick, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher that we’ve almost entirely ceased discussing the murky circumstances surrounding the benching of cornerback Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s still crazy that the Patriots were such a tight-lipped organization that even the players on the team didn’t know what happened with Butler.įortunately, New England didn’t turn into Seattle and bounced back the following season by defeating the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 to win Super Bowl LIII.We somehow still don’t totally know why Malcolm Butler was benched in Super Bowl 52. McCourty admitted both he and former teammate Stephon Gilmore are looking forward to reading Butler’s upcoming book, which might provide more details on what actually happened behind the scenes. He said Brian Flores met with him the year after the Butler benching to make sure it didn't 'destroy' the team like passing on the goal line in SB49 did to Seattle.Īlso said he and Gilmore both can't wait for Butler's book. He was like, ‘I just don’t want that to destroy us.'” They never got back to the Super Bowl.’ And that team was so talented.

It kind of seemed like that was the end of that team. “He was like, ‘I look back at Seattle when we played them in the Super Bowl, and they don’t run the ball. As a matter of fact, the next year, I remember meeting with, and Flo was like, ‘Hey, we’ve just got to make sure that whole situation doesn’t affect the team this year.’ “Think about, if there was something to know, we’re years past, all of those guys on the team, and you haven’t heard anybody ,” said McCourty. Retired Patriots safety Devin McCourty had some interesting things to say on the incident when appearing on the “Green Light with Chris Long.” What followed was a defensive collapse for the ages in a game where even Tom Brady’s 505-yard passing performance couldn’t save the team.

One of the biggest NFL mysteries of all time belongs to the New England Patriots, when they made the shocking decision to bench then-cornerback Malcolm Butler at Super Bowl LII against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Malcolm butler super bowl