Tom Brady on Malcolm Butler Super Bowl Benching: 'I Wish He Would've Played'

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Monday he wasn't told why former Pats cornerback Malcolm Butler didn't play in the team's 41-33 Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Kevin Duffy of MassLive provided Brady's comments from an interview with Jim Gray at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Santa Monica, California.

"Well, I don't make those decisions," he said. "I wish he would've played, but the coach didn't play him, and we still had a chance to win."

Brady said Butler remained active on the sideline, encouraging his teammates throughout the contest, but a postgame conversation didn't shed any light on the matter, via Duffy.

"And I asked Malcolm, and Malcolm said: 'I don't know. Coach has just decided something different.' I said, 'OK.' So I don't know what was a part of that decision-making, but I know we were trying to win the game," Brady explained. "I don't think we were trying to do anything but win."

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn't want to discuss his decision-making process the day after the team's defeat.

"I appreciate the question, but it would be a much longer discussion," he told reporters Feb. 5. "There are a lot of things that go into that. In the end, the final decision is what I said it was."

Butler's unexpected absence drew additional attention as New England gave up 373 passing yards to Nick Foles and the Eagles. Three months later, nobody from the organization has provided much detail about the benching.

Butler left the Pats in March as a free agent to sign a five-year, $62.25 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. He won two Super Bowl titles and earned a Pro Bowl selection during his time in New England.