Malcolm Butler benched for ‘weed’ and ‘curfew’ violation, ex-teammate hints

The day after the Philadelphia Eagles stunningly outgunned the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII, fans and NFL insiders alike wondered one thing: Where in the world was Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler?

The hero of Super Bowl XLIX was mysteriously situated on the bench as Nick Foles and the Eagles flew by the Patriots’ secondary for 378 yards and four touchdowns.

When asked about the Butler benching, coach Bill Belichick repeatedly gave a similar answer: “I made the decisions that give us the best chance to win.”

In the aftermath, some former Patriots players questioned the decision. The sharpest criticism came from Brandon Browner, a teammate of Butler’s in 2014.

Browner lashed out at Belichick’s move in a series of Instagram posts and then revealed the possible reason Butler was held out of the game.

“He not the first to get caught with weed,” Browner wrote. “Curfew also meant we are not allowed to have guest especially women.”

In the video, Browner went on about team rules:

“For weed? For curfew? Man, do y’all history. Patriots [are] a team that gives guys second chances. I know players that they used to let [their] wives sleep in the bed with them on away games. I ain’t gonna say no names.”

Though he didn’t get specific, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported that a “minor rule violation believed to be related to curfew” figured into the benching along with several other factors.

When pressed Monday on a conference call with reporters, Belichick did admit the suspension was a bit more complicated than he previously noted.

“I appreciate the question, but it would be a much longer discussion,” Belichick said, via ESPN. “There are a lot of things that go into that. In the end, the final decision is what I said it was.”