Why Malcolm Butler was benched in the Super Bowl is a mystery we'll probably never know the answer to. He doesn't know. After the game, he only said, "They gave up on me. Fuck. It is what it is." Bill Belichick was classicly unhelpful on the matter, also saying only, "it is what it is."
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Patriots defensive coordinator and guy who probably likes Harleys way too much Matt Patricia spent a full minute saying absolutely nothing on the matter when reporters pushed him after the game.
Here’s Matt Patricia giving the same answer to repeated questions about Malcolm Butler. pic.twitter.com/hdTLFROUQs
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) February 5, 2018
So, since we won't find out what possessed Belichick and Patricia to bench a guy who played 97.8 percent of Patriots regular season defensive snaps in the freaking Super Bowl until the tell-all book comes out in 7-10 years, I'm here to provide you with some explanations that are totally plausible and not at all ridiculous.
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The Prophecy
Maybe Bill Belichick was told by a seer he trusts, or some sort of witch, that Malcolm Butler would cost the Patriots the Super Bowl. Being a big believer in the mystical arts, our boy Bill benched Butler, but failed to take into account a truth about prophecies that often rears its ugly head in fiction.
Trying to stop a prophecy only makes it come true. Butler cost the Patriots the game because he didn't play, and they gave up 41 points and 374 passing yards.
You see this story everywhere from Greek myths (Oedipus was prophesied to kill his father and marry his mother, but only did so because his parents tried to kill him) to Harry Potter to Game of Thrones and beyond. This supposed football genius fell into one of fiction's oldest traps.
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Malcolm Butler thinks the World is Flat
Ever since Kyrie Irving was traded to the Celtics, he and Butler have been hanging out (totally made that up). Irving, a flat-earth truther, turned Butler to the crazy side.
Butler then chose right before the Super Bowl to tell well-publicized rocket scientist Matt Patricia his views, which was clearly a mistake. Patricia decided he couldn't put the Super Bowl in the hands of someone that insane, and Eric Rowe got the start.
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Mind Control
Probably the most likely option, Eric Rowe really wanted to start and/or Nick Foles didn't want to go against Butler, so they used some sort of mind control to convince Belichick not to start him. I was thinking the Imperius Curse because I'm a Harry Potter nerd, but your favorite form of mind control would work as well.
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He Forgot to Wear a Tie
Remember when Cam Newton was benched for a series against the Seahawks for not wearing a tie? What happened was that but for a whole game. Bill Belichick famously can't stand slovenly dressers, so this one makes perfect sense.
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Secret X-Ray
This one takes you for a little walk, so I'm going to have to ask you to stay with me. The Patriots have secret x-ray machines attached to all their players' beds, so they can't hide injuries from the team or whatever (seems like something they'd do).
They detected a hidden injury in Butler before the game, like a weak Achilles or something (I don't know how x-rays work), and didn't want him to get hurt. Their secret x-ray thing is a super egregious invasion of privacy, so they couldn't tell Butler, and instead just benched him without explanation.
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Fashion Advice
Butler told Belichick to put on a long sleeve sweatshirt like a normal person right before kickoff. The famously prickly coach didn't take kindly to such unwarranted fashion advice out of the blue, and decided to send a message.
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Eating a Tomato
Tom Brady doesn't eat tomatoes because they cause inflammation. He got a little carried away in his dedication to dietary restrictions, and gave an ultimatum to the coaching staff.
"Either this dirty tomato-eater gets benched, or I'm not playing," he said, probably. Belichick made the only logical decision.
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He was Inflating Footballs
You don't EVER mess with Tom Brady's footballs.
