Howe: Butler missed flight, held out first three weeks of practice

[JarOfMayo51]

@AlbertBreer: Per source, the NFLPA is indeed looking into potential violation of CBA Article 21, Section 5(a) by the Patriots -- re: Malcolm Butler.

Loss of 2017 1st round pick.. This franchise has a clear history of violating the integrity of the game!

 

[Jackson 2]

"Lots of people angry"

Wow lol, these reporters are a f***ing joke... anything to get clicks and attention!

Same Bruce Allen from Boston Sports Media Watch I wonder? He despises the media members who dislike and criticize Bill B. Probably BB's staunchest defender. His "Lots of people" must be referring to media members... poor babies...

 

[mb6592]

Maybe it's just as simple as sometimes life isn't fair? I remember an ice storm forced a bridge closure and everybody on the wrong side of the bridge showed up late. It didn't matter, those who did were punished. Unfairly? Has nothing to do with it. After graduation, the instructor told us the reason for the punishment. - life isn't always fair - deal with it.

In football many bad/unfair calls are made against you, but you must maintain your composure, you must learn to deal with the adversity. Maybe this is BB's way of giving that lesson.

That would be an incredibly stupid "lesson" to be teaching in this manner, so I hope you're wrong.

You figure sports leagues should teach this same lesson for the same reasons? Maybe a delay because of a vehicle incident should cost a team 14 points, or something? Maybe players should have to play outside in thunderstorms, or inside during a complete power outage....

It's not a lesson in the traditional sense. It's more a lesson on the facts of life. It builds character to learn how to deal with the unfair situations life throws at us. Football is just a microcosm of life itself, so maybe BB eschews short term expediency for what he sees as long term gain? Then again, maybe I'm way off base.

Regarding the appropriateness of the punishment? I'll leave that for others to debate (and would add a caution that we'll probably never learn all the facts of what exactly happened).

 

[juny]

has to be more to this story right? seems harsh.

but then again it's just OTAs. not sure why the union would care about a voluntary event. i don't think butler is out any money. he's at the meetings just not on the field.

 

[Ross12]

Same Bruce Allen from Boston Sports Media Watch I wonder? He despises the media members who dislike and criticize Bill B. Probably BB's staunchest defender. His "Lots of people" must be referring to media members... poor babies...

Bruce is the best, one of my favorite Twitter follows.

 

[Jackson 2]

Bruce is the best, one of my favorite Twitter follows.

He's not ONE of my favorites, he's #1.

 

[Deus Irae]

It builds character to learn how to deal with the unfair situations life throws at us.

Sitting someone for 3 weeks over a grounded plane flight, particularly when the OTA wasn't even mandatory, is a character building exercise? No, it's idiocy, which is why I hope (and would expect) that there's more to the story.

Otherwise, this is just Goodell-level overly harsh punishment being played out at the team level.

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

1. driven. He's a young guy...c'mon, most of us have done that.

The Giants punter was in the same predicament and got a flight to DC and rented a car to get to OTAs on time. Unfortunately he plowed into a barrier on the Jersey Turnpike in the midst of a thunderstorm......and totalled a rental... I don;t think he was punished....

 

[Deus Irae]

The Giants punter was in the same predicament and got a flight to DC and rented a car to get to OTAs on time. Unfortunately he plowed into a barrier on the Jersey Turnpike in the midst of a thunderstorm......and totalled a rental... I don;t think he was punished....

It is, perhaps, fortunate that BB is not his head coach

 

[Ross12]

The Giants punter was in the same predicament and got a flight to DC and rented a car to get to OTAs on time. Unfortunately he plowed into a barrier on the Jersey Turnpike in the midst of a thunderstorm......and totalled a rental... I don;t think he was punished....

I wonder if BB would perhaps make an exception for a car accident.

 

[Jackson 2]

The Giants punter was in the same predicament and got a flight to DC and rented a car to get to OTAs on time. Unfortunately he plowed into a barrier on the Jersey Turnpike in the midst of a thunderstorm......and totalled a rental... I don;t think he was punished....

Yes, he was. He had to spend time in New Jersey.

 

[sieglo]

I wonder if BB would perhaps make an exception for a car accident.

I think he just cuts you in that situation, a la Spikes.

 

[IcyPatriot]

3 weeks a slave ....

 

[ralmat55]

Chris Mortenson is reporting that 11 of 12 Patriot 2nd year players were late by 2 minutes or more. Sounds like Ted Wells needs to warm up his rubber hose.

 

[Jackson 2]

I've got to admit, 3 weeks for those circumstances seems harsh to me. It seems likely to me that there's more to it, but I'd be surprised if we ever know.

 

[Canuck]

Seems overly harsh. Although you would think he could have taken a bus or rented/hired a car to get there on time. I've had flights delayed due to weather but drove to another airport and flew from there instead. Maybe he thought that because OTA's are supposed to be voluntary, that if he was a little late getting there, it would be okay. It wouldn't be the first time in the NFL that a team punished a player for not attending a voluntary OTA. I don't think the Union really cares. The coach has the right to play who ever he wants during OTA.

 

[SVN]

I get sitting him out a practice, hes done that with Revis and a bunch of other guys... but I don't understand or agree with holding him out of 3 weeks of practice, that is insanely harsh and only hinders his development... a player that we may really, really need this year with all of the losses in the secondary.

Bill does not like people being late, that's for damn sure!

Yes BB will do something surely which will undermine his team 's development and development of a player....we have seen it so many times over the last 15 yrs. Thats all he does.

 

[farn]

BB is ridiculously harsh about the start times. But he has a rule and people follow it or get sent home. For whatever reason, this rule works for him.

Side note, which may or may not play a role here : BB has never seemed crazy about the celebration tours. Remember Gray's 15min ? Didn't take long to snap him back. Can it be that BB thinks MB has milked his new fame a bit more than he should have ? Or is it just "it's our rule" ?

 

[JarOfMayo51]

I think there is a more probable than not chance that we're all just over analyzing this out of desperation for football

 

[Zuma]

It's very harsh....but maybe in the dark corners of BB's mind...he felt Butler needed to watch more tape then being on the field. If Butler has the physical skills but needs more classroom time...then perhaps BB feels he is killing 2 birds with one stone by doing this. I have no freaking idea.