Malcolm Butler still won't talk about why the Patriots benched him for all but one play in this year's Super Bowl. New England coach Bill Belichick has likewise refused to address the issue.
Yet going forward, Butler says the mysterious snub has given him extra motivation with his new team, the Titans, who signed him to a five-year, $61 million contract in free agency.
“I’m very fueled, and I’ve always been this way, but I’ve got a little extra gas in the tank,” Butler told TitanInsider.com at training camp Thursday.
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So what does extra motivation look like for Butler? Thursday in practice, he intercepted a Marcus Mariota pass intended for Corey Davis, then enthusiastically punted the ball down the field. Afterward, Titan Insider reported Butler shouted at Davis, “This ain’t no (expletive) OTAs.”
#Titans CB @Mac_BZ out-muscles @TheCDavis84 for the ball....
— AtoZSports Nashville (@AtoZSports) July 26, 2018
Butler was 3-0 in 1v1’s this morning pic.twitter.com/3BeX0IPc9o
Someday, the story behind Butler's mysterious benching will be told. In the meantime, the Titans have a 28-year-old Pro Bowl corner ready to prove his old team wrong. In case you're wondering, the Titans host the Patriots on Nov. 11.