Tight end Rob Gronkowski won’t be the only Patriots’ player skipping the Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday night. The Patriots announced cornerback Malcolm Butler won’t be in attendance either.
Butler has an illness, according to the team. Gronkowski remains in concussion protocol.
Butler, the star of Super Bowl XLIX with his late interception of Russell Wilson, becomes a free agent after this season. He talked last week about the possibility of Super Bowl LII being his last game in a Patriots uniform.
“Yeah, it crossed my mind,” Butler said, via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “But you know what, man, the only thing that matters is doing whatever I can to help the team win this last game of the season. This is the biggest game of the season. I’ve got to put all [the contract ramifications] in the drawer. That’s not important right now. Over the years, I learned that it isn’t always about you. It’s about the team. Whatever is best for the team, I’ve got to do. [The contract] is not even important right now. I just want to win this championship. Just got to win, man.”