We still don't really know why Malcolm Butler didn't play in this year's Super Bowl, which the Patriots lost to the Eagles, 41-33. And it seems New England head coach Bill Belichick won't be offering an explanation for his decision to bench Butler, the hero of Super Bowl XLIX against Seattle, anytime soon—if ever.
At Patriots training camp Wednesday morning, Boston Globe writer Dan Shaughnessy pushed Belichick to provide more details. He wouldn't budge. Belichick appeared to already be in midseason form.
"Is there going to be any more explanation of why he didn't play?" Shaughnessy asked, alluding to Butler. Belichick responded that he was focused on training camp.
"Would you do it any differently?" Shaughnessy asked. Belichick responded with a snarky comment about how he couldn't do training camp differently because it's just getting started.
As Shaughnessy's questioning continued, the legendary coach added: "Every day that I've coached here, I've done the best that I could for this football team and I'll continue to do that. Right now, my focus is on the 2018 season—not 2017, not 2014, not 2007, not 2004, not 2001 and not 2000. I'm not focused on any of those seasons. They're done."
Belichick probably has some pent-up frustration from the repeated questions he has faced about Butler this offseason, but we can't imagine those questions will stop soon. People—especially New England fans—will always wonder why the star corner was left watching in the biggest game of the year.
Butler signed a five-year, $61 million contract with the Titans in March. Meanwhile, New England remains the favorite, yet again, to win this year's Super Bowl. The Pats have 6-1 odds.
