Butler hopes to find home with Stamps

New defensive back spent six years in NFL with Cowboys, Broncos and Bills

Mario Butler didn’t need to update his social media accounts.

The newly-signed Calgary Stampeders defensive back used to change the number in his Twitter handle every time he joined a new team and was assigned new digits, but after a while, he just decided to stick with @M_Butler31.

Lucky for him, when he walked into the Stampeders dressing room on Tuesday, No. 31 was just sitting there waiting for him. No need to switch things up on social media this time around.

“I came into the locker-room and saw they had 31 and thought, ‘That’s pretty fitting,’ ” Butler said after his first practice with his new teammates.

“You go through the NFL, and (after) getting cut a few times, and I’m not going to keep changing the number.”

Butler was added to the Stampeders practice roster on Tuesday morning, but he may not stay there for long.

The 29-year-old brings an impressive pedigree to the Stamps, having spent time with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills over the past six years.

It was with the Bills with whom he made the biggest impact, playing 13 games and making one start in 2014.

The Stampeders are loaded with talent in the defensive backfield, but the CFL club has been high on Butler for a while, even if he faces an uphill challenge.

“It’s always tough when you come in late,” Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson said. “You don’t have the foundation that the other guys have, but as long as you compete, you’re a pro, you do some learning on your own ... hopefully, he’s a good player and stays.”

Before making the move north, Butler was already training in his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., hoping to land another shot in the NFL. Unfortunately, the opportunities he was offered didn’t seem to provide viable pathways to playing football, so he spoke with his wife and decided to give the CFL a shot.

It couldn’t have been an easy decision, as Butler keeps busy off the field running the Mario Butler Foundation, which provides scholarships, camps and mentorships to children in Jacksonville.

“We provide resources for kids,” Butler explained.

“Growing up in the inner city in Florida, it was tough. I had some mentors that came and really helped me out, so I think just getting a platform through football, whether it was the NFL or CFL or whatever, I felt I had an obligation to do something of that nature and give back.”

As long as you compete, you’re a pro, you do some learning on your own ... hopefully, he’s a good player and stays.