One of the biggest stories before, during, and after Super Bowl 52 was the benching of Patriots cornerback (and Super Bowl XLIX hero) Malcolm Butler. Butler had played 1,174 of the Patriots' 1,197 defensive snaps through the AFC Championship Game (98.1 percent), per Pro Football Focus, but he did not step on the field on defense even once during the Patriots' loss to the Eagles. 

Bill Belichick has yet to explain exactly why Butler did not play but there have been a whole lot of rumors and innuendo about what might have happened on that fateful Sunday night. Butler got himself a nice payday from the Tennessee Titans in free agency and doesn't seem to be holding much ill will toward the Patriots, Belichick, or former Pats defensive coordinator (now Lions head coach) Matt Patricia. 

But that doesn't mean the thought didn't cross Butler's mind during the actual game that he should go up to Belichick and/or Patricia to figure out what exactly was going on. 

Here's what Butler told Sports Illustrated:

"There was times when I was on the sideline and I just wanted to go up and say to Belichick or Matt Patricia and just say, 'Is this how we're gonna end this?' I grew up in the Patriots system and I'm a man of God. I respect my authority and I just couldn't ask them for something they didn't want to do. I just was doing my job. I was close to going up there and saying what I wanted to say to Matt or Belichick, but I just stayed in my lane and just did my job. And I really wanted to go ask him, but I didn't."

Butler didn't stop there. He also said that he believes the Pats probably would have won the game if he'd actually played. 

"I never missed a game. Never missed practice or anything like that. Would we have won if I played? Probably. Maybe. I'm not sure," he said. "I would say we were short about one or two plays, and I saw a couple plays out there I could have made."