![]() In Arizona, Butler spent the next few hours in a blizzard of confetti and attention. “I knew that was the stack, and they were trying to pick me and Browner, and I just beat them to the point and jumped the route. “Studying film, preparation, I knew the route combination,” Butler told ESPN after the game. Butler made a beeline toward the spot where Wilson needed to throw the ball to Lockette and beat the receiver there by a fraction of a second to snag the first interception of his career.īutler collided with Lockette, got knocked back into the end zone, then sprawled forward to the 1-yard line and directly into NFL lore. He set up three yards deep in the end zone, with teammate Brandon Browner and Seattle receivers Kearse and Lockette in a bunch formation directly front of him.Īt the snap, Kearse ran straight ahead to take Browner out of the play while Lockette cut underneath on a slant route to the goal line. The rookie recognized the play immediately and reacted like a seasoned veteran. With the clock ticking down and Seattle at the 1-yard line, Wilson tried to throw a quick slant to Ricardo Lockette. His chance at redemption came two plays later. I just had to come out and make a play and step up.” “I felt like anyone else would feel, that it was my fault that we didn’t win the game. “I felt like I did my job, but it still hurt that he caught it,” Butler, who finished with three solo tackles and three pass defenses, told NFL Network. “My first reaction was, ‘My boy made ESPN for the wrong reason,” said Lemons, who is in the Air Force and was watching at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Butler had made a phenomenal play on the ball, only to be upstaged by one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history. Unfortunately, the deflected pass fell straight onto Kearse’s legs, and the receiver made a highlight-reel play of his own to complete a 33-yard reception that gave Seattle the ball at the 5-yard line.Īll around the country, fans gasped in astonishment. Butler jumped, reached back and made a spectacular play to knock the ball down. Wilson threw a pass deep down the right sideline intended for Kearse. On Seattle’s final drive, quarterback Russell Wilson kept throwing in the rookie’s direction. Butler’s big game was just getting going, though. Those stops helped New England rally for two touchdowns and a 28-24 lead with 2:02 remaining. He had good coverage on Seattle’s Jermaine Kearse on another third down play in the fourth quarter, leading to a key sack. He barely played in the first half of Sunday’s game against Seattle, then moved into the defensive lineup halfway through the third quarter with the Patriots trailing 24-14.īutler broke up a deep pass along the sideline to prevent a third down completion that would have moved the Seahawks into field goal range in the third quarter. It was that approach that helped make Butler a Super Bowl hero. He trains for those big-time opportunities,” Lemons said. Les Lemons, who played with Butler at both Vicksburg High and Hinds, said Butler’s ability and work ethic were never in question. He realized he had made a mistake and he didn’t let it slow him down.” “He said, ‘I know I screwed up, coach,’” Stevens recalled. ![]() ![]() Butler enrolled in classes at Alcorn State to get his academic qualifications in order and was invited back to Hinds’ football team in the fall of 2010.īutler went on to become a two-time All-Gulf South Conference player at West Alabama, signed a free agent contract with the Patriots last May, and made the NFL team’s roster with an impressive performance throughout training camp. He had 61 tackles and one interception, and showed enough potential to warrant a scholarship offer from Hinds Community College - which he promptly messed up by getting kicked out of school following an off-the-field incident halfway through his first semester.īutler returned to Vicksburg and his job at Popeye’s Chicken, where the gravity of his wasted opportunity crashed down upon him. He played in his freshman season at Vicksburg High, then sat out the next two years before returning to the team his senior year. Butler’s journey to Super Bowl stardom seems as unlikely as his emergence as one of the pivotal players in Sunday’s game.
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