Belichick still won’t share details of Butler benching
Patriots coach Bill Belichick was no more forthcoming Monday about his surprise benching of cornerback Malcolm Butler.
Speaking on a conference call the day after the Patriots blew their chance at a sixth NFL title with a 41- 33 loss to the Eagles, Belichick said “there are a lot of things that go into that.”
Butler, whose interception in the end zone clinched the Patriots’ Super Bowl victory over the Seahawks in 2014, had been one of the team’s steadiest players this season, played 98 percent of the defensive snaps and started 17 of 18 games.
But Butler made it on the field for one play Sunday — on special teams. He appeared to be crying during the national anthem. After the game, he told ESPN that he “could have changed that game.”
Said Belichick: “I respect Malcolm’s competitiveness, and I’m sure that he felt like he could have helped. I’m sure other players felt the same way.”
Suspect in death deported twice
Aman being held in a suspected drunken- driving crash that killed Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver has been twice deported from the U. S. and was living in the country illegally.
Manuel Orrego- Savala, 37, remained jailed but hasn’t been charged in the deadly crash Sunday along Interstate 70 in Indianapolis. State Police said that he’s a citizen of Guatemala who gave officers a fake name when he was arrested after the pre- dawn crash.
Lions make Patricia official
The Lions hired Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who reunites with general manager Bob Quinn. The two worked together for more than a decade in New England.
Patricia was on Bill Belichick’s staff for 14 seasons, the last six as coordinator. He overlapped with Quinn, who was part of the Patriots’ personnel department for 16 years. The Lions plan to formally introduce him at a news conferenceWednesday.
Super Bowl ratings drop 7%
An estimated 103.4 million people watched the Super Bowl on NBC, a 7 percent drop from last year. The Nielsen company said it’s the smallest Super Bowl audience on television since 2009.
The Patriots- Falcons Super Bowl last year reached 111.3 million viewers. The all- time Super Bowl record— and record for any television event in the U. S. — was the 114.4 million who watched the Patriots- Seahawks game in 2015.
Sportsbooks’ win is small
A record $ 158.58 million was wagered on the Super Bowl at Nevada sportsbooks, beating the previous high set last year by more than $ 20 million. The sportsbooks won $ 1.1 million with the Eagles’ upset of the Patriots. It’s the smallest win for the sportsbooks on the Super Bowl since 2011.