I think the original Butler thread was one of the all time longest in number of posts.
I stopped following the story because, ONE, Butler is crying on the sideline as though he just found out, and TWO, several Patriots are on record as practicing all week knowing that Butler was being benched (although stories are different as to whether they thought he was being benched for a quarter, a half, or the whole game). McCourty is absolutely positive that he knew.
So here, as a fan, I'm left with the obvious conclusion that the players knew he was benched, but Butler didn't, and they didn't even talk to him about it. I can't even say what to draw from this conclusion. Were they walking on eggshells around him? Or they just weren't very communicative? It's bizarre.
This contradiction is apparent. Unless of course other Patriots and McCourty were trying to kill the story and refuse to make excuses for the play on the field.