The New England Patriots placed cornerback Malcolm Butler on the season ending injured reserve on Tuesday with an injury that was not disclosed.
Butler, 32, who is best remembered for an interception at the goal line to clinch a Super Bowl XLIX victory for the Patriots over the Seattle Seahawks, hasn’t practiced with the team since the preseason opener against the New York Giants. His last game with the Pats prior to signing back as a free agent this past offseason was a bizarre benching in a Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, in which a reason was never fully explained. After that game Butler played three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, and then last year he signed with the Arizona Cardinals only to announce his retirement at the end of the preseason. Early this year Butler said he wanted to play again and the Cardinals released him from the reserve/retired list, making him a free agent. The product of the University of West Alabama has played in 100 NFL games (86 starts) over seven seasons, winning two championships with the Patriots with 406 total tackles and 17 interceptions. He also made the Pro-Bowl and was a First Team All-Pro in 2015. The team also placed cornerback Joejuan Williams on season ending injured reserve, meaning they’ve now lost two players at that position this week.
