- Butler, 34, was arrested on March 16 after his car was spotted blocking traffic
- The Patrolman reportedly said he could smell alcohol on the ex-Patriot’s breath
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Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler was arrested for drunken driving in Rhode Island earlier this month.
Butler, 34, was arrested on March 16 after a police officer saw his vehicle blocking traffic, North Providence police announced Tuesday.
According to WBZ-TV, the patrol said he saw a white Mercedes-Benz stopped and blocking traffic on the road.
The driver was identified as the former New England Patriots cornerback, who is said to have a “strong odor of alcoholic beverage” from his breath.
Butler was also reported to have “profuse sweating” and “extremely slurred and delayed speech, along with severely bloodshot watery eyes,” according to the police report obtained by WBZ-TV.
Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler was arrested this month for drunken driving in Rhode Island
When the officer asked Butler if he had been drinking, the former NFL star reportedly replied, “Take me to jail.”
Butler allegedly refused field sobriety tests and was arrested before his car was towed. He also refused to take a breathalyzer test when he was later at the police station, the report said.
The Texas resident is scheduled to appear in court on March 28, but his attorney, former Rhode Island House Speaker John Harwood, told WPRI-TV in Providence that he had filed a motion to dismiss or withdraw the charges.
He alleged that Butler “violated” his Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and 14th Amendment rights under the Constitution.
“I don’t think he was driving when they pulled him over,” Harwood told police. “He was off the road, and the fact that he wasn’t driving tells me at least he was responsible.”
The arrest came just six days after Butler announced his retirement from the NFL after seven seasons in the league.
He spent four of those seasons in New England, where he entered Super Bowl folklore after signing with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2014.
Butler then made a historic game-saving interception against the Seattle Seahawks to clinch a victory for the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX.
Butler made a historic game-saving interception against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX
With the clock winding down and the Seattle Seahawks trailing 28-24 with less than 30 seconds left, Seattle coach Pete Carroll called one of the most controversial plays in NFL history when he opted for a pass on the one-yard line instead of a handoff to star running back Marshawn Lynch.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw a slanted pass to wide receiver Ricardo Lockette – which Butler expertly read and pinned his man to the ground as he grabbed the ball for an interception.
It was a game that gave the Patriots their fourth title in franchise history.
Butler was also part of the team’s Super Bowl LI title, where he made two tackles.
Butler became a free agent after the Patriots’ loss in the following year’s Super Bowl and signed a five-year, $61 million deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Butler’s Super Bowl XLIX heroics gave way to shock in Super Bowl LII – as he was benched
After the benching, Butler signed a five-year contract with Tennessee. After three years he was circumcised.
He lasted just three seasons with the Titans – playing 41 regular season games and one playoff game before being released.
Butler then signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals in March 2021 before initially retiring in August.
After a year off, Butler returned to New England and signed a two-year contract in March 2022. The Patriots placed him on injured reserve in mid-August before releasing him nine days later.
He attempted a comeback later that season through a workout with the Miami Dolphins. Butler attempted to return to the NFL again last season after coaching with the Atlanta Falcons. Neither training resulted in a contract.
