Background and career
Malcolm Terel Butler (born March 2, 1990) is an American former professional football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Hinds Community College and West Alabama Tigers before signing with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Butler was also a member of the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals. A two-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowl selection during his Patriots tenure, Butler is best known for his goal line interception in the final seconds of Super Bowl XLIX. His interception, which prevented a go-ahead touchdown and effectively ensured the Patriots' victory, is regarded as one of the greatest plays in NFL history.
Butler was born on March 2, 1990, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and has four siblings. He graduated from Vicksburg High School in 2009. As a senior, Butler averaged five tackles per game. Despite only playing football in his freshman and senior years at Vicksburg, he earned a scholarship to Hinds Community College in Raymond, Mississippi. Butler also participated in track and field at Vicksburg, competing in sprints and jumps. He had personal bests of 12.07 seconds in the 100-meter dash, 1.83 meters (6'0") in the high jump, and 6.92 meters (22'8.5") in the long jump.
As a freshman at Hinds Community College in 2009, Butler recorded 22 tackles and an interception, but was kicked off the team after the fifth game of the season. He transferred to Alcorn State University before being invited back to Hinds Community College in 2011, and as a sophomore, Butler had 43 tackles, three interceptions, and 12 pass deflections. In 2012, Butler enrolled at the University of West Alabama, majoring in physical education. He started all 12 games that fall for the Division II Tigers. Butler finished the season with 49 tackles, 43 solo, five interceptions (including three in a game against West Georgia), and averaged a team-leading 29.8 yards per kickoff return. In 2013, Butler was named a Beyond Sports Network All-American after recording 45 tackles, two interceptions, and a blocked field goal, and averaging 27.9 yards on kickoff returns during the season. He played in the 2014 Medal of Honor Bowl, a postseason all-star game, registering a solo tackle and an interception.
Butler received an invitation to attend the New England Patriots' rookie minicamp, and after impressing coaches with his performance, Butler was signed to a three-year, $1.53 million contract on May 19, 2014. During training camp, he competed for a roster spot against Dax Swanson, Justin Green, and Jemea Thomas. Butler had an impressive preseason and earned a roster spot as the sixth cornerback on the Patriots’ depth chart. Head coach Bill Belichick named Butler the sixth cornerback, behind Darrelle Revis, Alfonzo Dennard, Logan Ryan, Kyle Arrington, and Brandon Browner. Butler made his NFL debut during the season opener against the Miami Dolphins and finished the 33–20 road loss with two solo tackles. In the next game against the Minnesota Vikings, Butler recorded a solo tackle during the 30–7 road victory. He was inactive for three games as a healthy scratch (Weeks 5–7) after Alfonzo Dennard returned from injury. During a Week 9 43–21 victory over the Denver Broncos, Butler had a season-high four solo tackles and a pass deflection. He was inactive for another two games (Weeks 12–13) as a healthy scratch. During Week 15 against the Dolphins, Butler earned his first NFL start and recorded two combined tackles (one solo) in the 41–13 victory. In the regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills, Butler had a season-high five combined tackles (four solo) during the 17–9 loss. Butler finished his rookie year with 15 combined tackles (14 solo) and three pass deflections in 11 games and one start. The Patriots finished atop the AFC East with a 12–4 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #1-seed. In the Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens, Butler made his postseason debut, but recorded no statistics during the 35–31 victory. During the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts, Butler had a solo tackle in the 45–7 victory as the Patriots advanced to Super Bowl XLIX.
Butler began the Super Bowl as the fifth cornerback on the Patriots' depth chart. He entered the game in the third quarter at nickelback after Kyle Arrington struggled to cover Chris Matthews. When Butler was inserted in the line-up, Seattle had scored on four straight offensive possessions. He was assigned to cover Jermaine Kearse with Brandon Browner covering Chris Matthews. On a first down, Seattle handed off to Marshawn Lynch; Butler made the initial tackle, and Lynch was held to two yards. On the next play, Russell Wilson completed a pass to Kearse, and Butler made the tackle, holding the Seahawks to a five-yard gain. On 3rd-and-3, Wilson threw deep to Kearse and Butler broke up the pass, forcing Seattle to punt. Seattle did not score again. With under a minute left in the fourth quarter, Butler continued to cover wide receiver Jermaine Kearse and deflected a 33-yard pass by Russell Wilson. The deflected ball landed on Kearse as he fell to the ground and allowed him to juggle the ball and to complete the reception in what was described as one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history. After recognizing that Kearse had made the catch and was not down by contact, Butler pushed Kearse out of bounds at the five-yard line. Two plays later, with 20 seconds remaining and the Seahawks in position to score on the Patriots' one-yard line, Butler intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Ricardo Lockette at the goal line, returning possession to the Patriots and maintaining the Patriots' 28–24 lead. Butler said that he had guessed correctly that Wilson would throw to Lockette, having read the Seahawks two-receiver stack formation. Butler stated, "From preparation, I remembered the formation they were in ... I just beat him to the route and made the play." He gave credit to Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia for preparing players well for the game. The interception was the first of Butler's NFL career. It was the only interception of a pass attempt from the one-yard line during the 2014 NFL season, out of 109 such attempts. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who received a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado as part of his Super Bowl XLIX MVP Award, said that he planned to give the truck to Butler. At the request of Brady, Chevrolet awarded the truck directly to Butler.
Following the departures of Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, and Kyle Arrington, Butler was promoted to a starting cornerback position at the start of the 2015 season. Butler began the season recording five combined tackles (three solo) in the season-opening 28–21 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. In the next game against the Bills, he had six combined tackles (four solo), a pass deflection, and his first regular-season interception during the 40–32 road victory. The following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Butler recorded four solo tackles and three pass deflections in the 51–17 victory. Following a Week 4 bye, the Patriots went on the road to face the Dallas Cowboys. Butler finished the 30–6 victory with a solo tackle and a pass deflection. In the next game against the Colts, he recorded a season-high eight combined tackles (seven solo) and two pass deflections during the 34–27 road victory. Three weeks later against the Washington Redskins, Butler had five combined tackles (four solo) and a pass deflection in the 27–10 victory. During a narrow Week 10 27–26 road victory over the New York Giants, Butler had two solo tackles and tied his season-high of three pass deflections as he was matched up against Odell Beckham Jr., who made four receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. Butler made a strip of Beckham in the end zone when it looked like Beckham had secured possession of the football for a touchdown. The touchdown, which would have given the Giants the lead with 1:45 to play, was nullified by the officials and helped the Patriots hold the Giants to a field goal, after which Stephen Gostkowski kicked a game-winning 54-yard field goal. In the next game against the Bills on Monday Night Football, Butler recorded three solo tackles and held wide receiver Sammy Watkins to 39 yards on three receptions during the 20–13 victory. The following week against the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football, Butler had seven solo tackles and a pass deflection in the 30–24 overtime road loss. During Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Butler recorded a solo tackle and an interception in the 35–28 loss. In the next game against the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football, he once again had a solo tackle and a pass deflection during the 27–6 road victory. The following week against the Tennessee Titans, Butler recorded five combined tackles (three solo), a pass deflection, and an interception in the 33–16 victory. On December 22, 2015, Butler was named to the 2016 Pro Bowl. He finished his second professional season with 67 combined tackles (56 solo), 15 pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and starts. Butler led all Patriots in total snaps, and was the only Patriot defensive player to play more than 90 percent of defensive snaps in 2015. As a result of his high snap count and low salary, Butler received a performance-based pay bonus of $319,282.65, the highest of any Patriot in 2015 and the fifth-highest in the league. The Patriots finished atop the AFC East with a 12–4 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #2-seed. In the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs, Butler had five combined tackles (four solo) and a pass deflection during the 27–20 victory. During the AFC Championship Game against the Broncos, he recorded seven combined tackles (six solo) and two pass deflections in the narrow 20–18 road loss.
