Super Bowl XLIX hero Malcolm Butler ‘arrested for drunk driving in Rhode Island’ and tells police ‘just take me to jail’ – just six days after the former Patriots linebacker announced he was leaving the NFL

Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler was arrested earlier this month in Rhode Island for driving under the influence.

On Tuesday, North Providence police revealed that Butler, 34, was arrested on March 16 after a patrol officer noticed his vehicle blocking traffic.

According to WBZ-TV, the officer said he saw a white Mercedes Benz stop and block traffic on the road.

The driver was identified as a former New England Patriots linebacker and smelled of a “strong odor of alcohol.”

A police report obtained by WBZ-TV said Butler was “sweating profusely,” had “extremely slurred and delayed speech, and had very bloodshot, watery eyes.”

When the officer asked Butler if he had been drinking, the former NFL star reportedly replied, “Just take me to jail.”

They say Butler refused to take a field sobriety test and was arrested before his car was towed. He later refused to take a breathalyzer test when he was at the police station, the report adds.

The Texas native is scheduled to appear in court on March 28, but his lawyer, former Rhode Island House Speaker John Harwood, told WPRI-TV in Providence that he has filed a motion to dismiss or drop the charges.

He argued that Butler’s Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were “violated.”

“I don’t think he was driving when they stopped him,” Harwood told the station. “He went off the road and the fact that he wasn’t driving tells me that at least he was responsible.”

The arrest came just six days after Butler announced he was leaving 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 made a historic game-saving interception against the Seattle Seahawks to help the Patriots win 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 from the yard line instead of a pass. given to star running back Marshawn Lynch.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw a slant pass to wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, which Butler read expertly and took his man to the ground while grabbing the ball for an interception.

It was the decisive play that won the Patriots their fourth championship in franchise history.

Butler also played a part in the team’s Super Bowl LI title, where he recorded two tackles.

Butler became a free agent after the Patriots’ defeat in the following year’s Super Bowl, signing a five-year, $61 million contract with the Tennessee Titans.

He only lasted three seasons with the Titans, playing 41 regular-season games and one playoff game before being fired.

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, signing a two-year contract in March 2022. The Patriots placed him on injured reserve in mid-August and released him nine days later.

He attempted to return later that season by training with the Miami Dolphins. Butler tried to return to the NFL again last season after training with the Atlanta Falcons. No training resulted in a contract.