Prior to the Super Bowl, the majority of NFL fans probably had no idea who Malcolm Butler was. In fact, many Patriots fans probably had little or no knowledge of the unheralded cornerback. Then Butler made the interception that saved the Super Bowl for New England, and things have gone a little differently for him since.
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Butler was given a truck by Chevrolet after Tom Brady said that he would gift Butler the truck he won as Super Bowl MVP. He also got to head to Disney World and present an award at the Grammys last night.
Of course, Butler was very nearly not in the NFL at all this season. Butler went to Division II West Alabama and was not even invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. Fortunately, Patriots scout Frantzy Jourdain and cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer believed that Butler could play.
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According to Pro Football Talk, Butlers agent, Derek Simpson, says that it looked doubtful that Butler would even get an invitation to minicamp with any team.
"I'll never forget it; I was at my dining room table and got a phone call," Simpson said. "It was Josh Boyer and he said, 'Is Malcolm still available? I can bring in one player in the country for a tryout and I picked Malcolm. I believe Malcolm can play in the NFL.' We had to sign a release just to try out, and within one hour after his flight from Jackson, Mississippi, to New England, they had him run a 40 and he did a 4.4. From that point forward, it's been nothing but incredible."
On top of the long odds Butler overcame to even make the roster, do not forget that the only reason he was in the game during the second half (and the fateful play) was because Kyle Arrington and Logan Ryan played so poorly for much of the first half, repeatedly getting beat in coverage and missing tackles. Butler shored up the shoddy secondary play, and the rest is history.
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