Rob Gronkowski isn’t the only member of the New England Patriots having a few epic post-Super Bowl weeks. The gregarious tight end was certainly an recognizable personality well before his team’s incredible 28-24 win in Super Bowl XLIX. But the guy who made the game-winning play, cornerback Malcolm Butler, not so much. The 24-year-old undrafted rookie from the University of West Alabama, who was about as anonymous as an NFL player could be until 18 days ago, told For The Win about the moment he realized how much his life had changed after the big game.Image may be NSFW.
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“When it really hit me, I went to a Boston [Celtics] basketball game and they said Malcolm Butler and [fans] were just cheering on my name. That’s when I realized what I did and everything that was happening,” Butler said. “One morning I was sleeping in bed and I just put myself in the stands as a fan. And I’m looking at the game here and was saying if I was a fan, my heart would be pounding as every fan’s was. It was just crazy, putting myself in that position and thinking about it knowing that I did that.”
While Butler’s name was more recognizable than his face in a below video shot by the NFL Network recently in Los Angeles, he hasn’t had that issue in Boston and his hometown of Vicksburg, Miss., where he’ll be feted with a parade this weekend. He’s still blown away by some of the experiences he’s had in the past two and a half weeks, especially a trip to the Grammys. Butler presented the Best Rock Album award with teammate Julian Edelman, shaking hands with artists like Jay-Z, Nikki Minaj, LL Cool J and Jamie Foxx during the evening.
“It was unreal. Not in a million years did I think I’d be at the Grammys,” Butler said. “I had to pinch myself and check somebody to realize and see was I really there? I really was. I enjoyed the whole thing. The whole lot, especially the Grammys, being among all those celebrities I’ve been looking up to and enjoying their music. Jamie Foxx is still one of my favorite actors.”
