Super Bowl 52: Malcolm Butler believes Patriots ‘gave up’ on him

New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler is not happy Bill Belichick benched him for Super Bowl 52 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

There was one person missing in action from the New England Patriots loss in Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles, cornerback Malcolm Butler.

After trying his best to hold back tears during the singing of the National Anthem, many were wondering why Butler was MIA from the biggest game of the year? Though his play was spotty at best during the season, he’s still the team’s second-best corner, and it was a mystery to fans why he wasn’t in the game, at all.

Well, it seems Butler is thinking the exact same thing, except he may have an answer. When ESPN’s Mike Reiss caught up to Butler after the loss, he said this: “They gave up on me. F***. It is what it is.”

Those are not encouraging words. No matter how you are feeling about Butler at the moment, many can agree he at least deserved the chance to go out and prove himself in the Super Bowl. He was the MVP when he read Russell Wilson’s eyes against the Seattle Seahawks, and Butler is one of the game’s best big-game cornerbacks.

So why Bill Belichick would keep Butler out of Super Bowl LII is one mystery that may come back to haunt him as bad as the decision to throw on the goal line has haunted Pete Carroll.

What if Butler demands a trade from the Patriots? Where will that leave them?

New England’s secondary isn’t among the league’s best and losing Butler in the offseason will be a huge loss, one the Patriots can ill-afford right now. Butler deserved a shot and his absence in the Super Bowl could linger over New England’s dark offseason.

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