Malcolm Butler may have been a pivotal figure in the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl victory over the Seattle Seahawks but that didn’t prevent the team from benching him three weeks for being late to the Patriots organized team activities.
The Patriots OTAs began on May 26th. Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald reports that the reason for Butler’s absence from the practice field wasn’t known until recently.
Butler has been able to go to the Patriots facility and he’s been a part of team meetings and the like.
Butler, whose interception sealed the Patriots’ victory against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, has still been at Gillette every day during OTAs, attending all meetings, film sessions and weight room workouts. He has only been kept off the practice field.
The decision to punish Butler for three weeks seems harsh given the circumstances, even for the notoriously cranky Bill Belichick. Butler’s flight to Boston was scheduled for the day before OTAs but “weather-related issues” delayed his flight until the next day. Butler notified the Patriots of his flight problems but that didn’t stop the team from coming down hard on the cornerback for being slightly late to a voluntary workout session.
Bill Belichick cares not for your weather conditions.
