Almost half a year has passed and Malcolm Butler’s benching in Super Bowl LII remains shrouded in mystery. Patriots coach Bill Belichick still remains incredibly tight-lipped about why he made his decision, and even Butler himself claims he doesn’t know to this day why exactly he was benched.
No one would blame Butler if he held some anger toward Belichick given how his Patriots career ended. But Butler says he doesn’t hold any ill will toward his old coach, who actually called to congratulate and thank the cornerback after he signed his five-year $61 million deal with the Titans.
“No bad blood between me and Bill Belichick,” Butler said per Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com. “One of the greatest coaches ever and I care about him, I know he care about me. And this a hurtful game sometimes and it can look different than what it is. But that's my guy. … I got a lot of respect for him.”
Belichick apparently has a nice habit of calling up and congratulating his former players. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo also revealed that Belichick would call to congratulate him after his wins last year.
It’s certainly a fine gesture from Belichick to congratulate and thank Butler. It would be even nicer if Belichick gave Butler the courtesy of explaining his decision not to play him in the biggest game of the year. But it doesn’t seem that knowing why really matters for Butler, who still has a high regard for his former coach despite that one mysterious decision.
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