Bill Belichick Says Decision to Bench Malcolm Butler 'Is What I Said It Was'

New England Patriots starting cornerback Malcolm Butler sat on the bench during Super Bowl LII, and head coach Bill Belichick maintains it wasn't due to disciplinary reasons.

"I appreciate the question, but it would be a much longer discussion," Belichick said Monday, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. "There are a lot of things that go into that. In the end, the final decision is what I said it was."

After the game Sunday, Belichick said Butler didn't play due to football reasons, per Eric Edholm of Pro Football Weekly.

"We put the players and game plan out there that we thought would be the best, like we always do," he explained Sunday, via Reiss.

Butler has appeared in every game for New England over the past three seasons, leading all Patriots defensive players by playing 97.83 percent of snaps during the 2017 regular season, per Pro Football Reference.

In the biggest game of the year, however, he didn't play a single defensive snap. He only went on the field once Sunday on a special teams play.

"They gave up on me," Butler told Reiss after the game.

Meanwhile, starting cornerbacks Eric Rowe and Stephon Gilmore had their problems, allowing 373 passing yards to Nick Foles. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk questioned the strategy from Belichick:

Butler was a Pro Bowler in 2015 and is perhaps best known for his game-sealing interception in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks.

While he didn't appear as sharp during the 2017 season on a Patriots defense that ranked 30th in the league against the pass, it's difficult to believe the coaching staff suddenly decided he didn't deserve a spot in the secondary.

The 27-year-old is set to enter free agency this offseason, and his unexpected benching likely will play a role in his decision.