Malcolm Butler sort of talks about his SB benching

[Patsfan1645]

vs a limp wrist.. and we all know how that worked out...

That's not worthy of comparison.

 

[signbabybrady]

Yep. What kills ne is the people posting acting like they know some super secret reason but are bound by some lifetime blood oath never to reveal it on a football Messageboard.

For me It's more about not repeating the same unsubstantiated rumors. I mean just in that interview Felger is asking if he wrestled Stephen & Maz is asking about alcohol. Why should we repeat that stuff.

 

[Vindicate]

If he is not talking
Then it is something he did that was bad enough that he wants to just explain it as a “coaches decision”
Otherwise you stand on top of a building and scream as loud as you can

Butler also probably has a hard time not recognizing that Matt and Bill literally gave him an opportunity no one else would, and he became a historical figure in the NFL overnight and even after leaving that season, Bill traded him to a good team and he made big money off of that contract.

I'd love to know, but I think that is why we never hear Butler stomp and shout.

 

[lancerman]

Yep. What kills ne is the people posting acting like they know some super secret reason but are bound by some lifetime blood oath never to reveal it on a football Messageboard.

I personally just don’t feel like it’s fair to throw out the gossip at Patriots Place on three guys who clearly want the specifics kept quiet when I have no method of 100% confirming them beyond multiple people who work their and know some of the big wigs believing the same thing.

It just becomes more trashy gossip, I think they believe it is definitely case, but I didn’t talk to the people they did. And none of them want to risk their jobs going public with it. So there’s no real benefit.

Anyways elements of it already came out in reports. Nobody wants to get into seedy drama details with people everyone respects

 

[Boston Boxer]

“Coach’s decision”

And cost us a ring. No doubt about it

at this point, i believe it was his fault resulting in being benched. after all this time, if he was unjustly benched, he would have said something by now.

 

[n1997y]

My understanding of the situation is this:

The Eagles were loaded with really big wide receivers, and Butler had struggled all season with big wide receivers.

Belichick and the coaches informed Butler that the game plan against Philly had Butler moving inside as the slot corner.

Butler, who was about to hit free agency after the game took this as a demotion. He then confronted Steven Belichick about it, and got way out of line in doing so, and may have threatened him, or become physical with him.

Butler then called out sick for the first week of practices.

Belichick then told Butler he wouldn’t be playing against the Eagles

Butler later admitted to causing the problem, and acknowledged that he didn’t know the game plan.

That makes a lot of sense. And if Butler didn’t know the game plan it would be very risky to play him. Choice between him blowing a coverage and giving up six points (plus the conversion) or a lesser player getting consistently beaten. Lose-lose proposition.

 

[Wozzy]

Butler crying right before the game told us he just found out.

And had this happened in 2014 during the 10 year drought, I think Bob would've fired Bill. However, I blame the veterans on defense and Tom Brady for not stepping up while the team was getting scored on to put him in. The leaders of the team didn't show up.

Butler crying before the game is because he screwed over his teammates the week of the biggest game of the year.

No player is crying because a coach benched him, it’s because he knows he was wrong.

 

[IcyPatriot]

I don't really care why he was benched ...
I absolutely care that he did not play giving us a better chance to win.
Punishment could have been dealt with another time ... but this a slanted selfish opinion of course.

 

[SVN]

its amazing that after so many yrs we still dont know. BB continues to take the hit from the ownership and media and fans and still hasnt budged.
As Ernie said in the edelman podcast -"there are things i know i will take to the grave" . This might be one of them

 

[signbabybrady]

 

[Huckleberry1]

I personally just don’t feel like it’s fair to throw out the gossip at Patriots Place on three guys who clearly want the specifics kept quiet when I have no method of 100% confirming them beyond multiple people who work their and know some of the big wigs believing the same thing.

It just becomes more trashy gossip, I think they believe it is definitely case, but I didn’t talk to the people they did. And none of them want to risk their jobs going public with it. So there’s no real benefit.

Anyways elements of it already came out in reports. Nobody wants to get into seedy drama details with people everyone respects

I can respect not saying anything, but why then even bring that up?

 

[lancerman]

I can respect not saying anything, but why then even bring that up?

Because there’s a debate whether he was benched for personal reason or football reasons and nobody from the owner to the people in the office believe that it was football related

 

[Huckleberry1]

Because there’s a debate whether he was benched for personal reason or football reasons and nobody from the owner to the people in the office believe that it was football related

Well if you arent going to actually tell anyone what you know then you aren’t clarifying anything.

IMO it was both, football and personal. Butler reacted badly to Belichick making him a slot corner right before free agency, believing Belichick was deliberately bringing down his market value, went off on Steven Belichick and either threatened him or made it physical, and Belichick drew the line there and refused to play him. Butler has said on more than one occasion that he never learned the game plan for the Super Bowl, so I don’t know why he would even expected to play in it.

 

[Mack Herron]

 

[Patsgofor4]

If he is not talking
Then it is something he did that was bad enough that he wants to just explain it as a “coaches decision”
Otherwise you stand on top of a building and scream as loud as you can

100% agree. The fact that he still won’t say what made Bill bench him, along with the fact that he willingly signed with them and seemed to have no ill will whatsoever towards Bill leads me to believe that Belichick is protecting him and doing him solid by not saying what he did. If it was simply a petty reaction by Bill to something Bulter did, at least some of his teammates would have already spilled the beans publically. In reality, nobody seem to know a damn things, players or coaches.

The “Bill’s pettiness cost them a SB” opinion that is spewed by Felger and Mazz and by many supposed Pats fans is a load of dogshit spewed by Belichick haters with no evidence whatsoever to back up that contention.

 

[Nikolai]

He seemed to intimate that there was an agreement to not discuss it.

Yep, and I'm not so sure anyone would be happy to know what actually happened...a high chance of dissatisfaction if the truth came out, I suspect

 

[signbabybrady]

Yep, and I'm not so sure anyone would be happy to know what actually happened...a high chance of dissatisfaction if the truth came out, I suspect

Probably true

 

[Steve102]

its amazing that after so many yrs we still dont know. BB continues to take the hit from the ownership and media and fans and still hasnt budged.
As Ernie said in the edelman podcast -"there are things i know i will take to the grave" . This might be one of them

IMO, it is. Bill doesn't throw players under the bus. He didn't damage Malcom's brand and he got a lucrative deal when he left. He respects the players, and if he's given his word that they won't ever talk about it, then my guess is "coach's decision" is as good as it's going to get.

 

[Wozzy]

Sounds like Malcolm is back on the sauce again…

 

[Wozzy]

IMO, it is. Bill doesn't throw players under the bus. He didn't damage Malcom's brand and he got a lucrative deal when he left. He respects the players, and if he's given his word that they won't ever talk about it, then my guess is "coach's decision" is as good as it's going to get.

This ^ is what people forget, BB did him a favor by not saying anything. Butler was a free agent and Bill could have told the truth and slammed him in the media.