Report: Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler suspended for 3 weeks, NFLPA investigating

Malcolm Butler became a hero after making a vital interception in the final minute of Super Bowl XLIX. To paraphrase New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick: that was last year.

Butler missed a flight to Boston for the start of organized team activities due to inclement weather on May 18, and was suspended from practice for three weeks as a result, according to The Boston Herald's Jeff Howe.

The 25-year-old cornerback will return to the field for the end of organized team activities this week. Butler was allowed to attend film sessions, meetings, and workouts, as his sanction was only implemented for on-field activities.

It seems puzzling that Butler could be suspended for missing a voluntary workout, and according to Albert Breer of NFL Network, the NFLPA is looking into the possibility that the Patriots violated a section of the CBA by banning him.

New England lost its starting cornerback duo in free agency and Butler has a decent shot of cracking the starting lineup. Making a play for the ages only holds so much weight under Belichick's authoritarian system, though, and the West Alabama product must continue to fight valiantly to keep his place on the field.