Former NFL defensive back Malcolm Butler, whose interception sealed the Patriots’ appearance in Super Bowl 49, was arrested in Providence earlier this month and charged with DUI.
According to police and court documents Quoted by CBS affiliate WPRIAt 3:22 a.m. on March 16, Butler, 34, was seen blocking the lane of a parked car.
“While speaking with Malcolm, I detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverages on his breath,” the arrestee wrote. “He also had extremely slurred speech, delayed speech, and his eyes were extremely bloodshot.”
The officer said Mr Butler was “sweating profusely” and when asked if he had been drinking he replied: “Just take me to jail.”
Butler reportedly told police that he came from a studio in Providence where he was making music.
Officers said Butler refused an alcohol test after being taken to the police station.
Butler’s attorney, John Harwood, a former Rhode Island House speaker, said his client’s “Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and 14th Amendment” rights are protected. They are seeking to have the charges dismissed on the grounds that they have been infringed.
“I don’t think he was driving when they stopped him,” Harwood told WPRI. “He was off the road and the fact that he wasn’t driving at least says he was at fault.”
According to Boston 25 NewsButler was also charged with stopping at a prohibited intersection and refusing to submit to a chemical test.
Butler is best known for intercepting Russell Wilson at the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX in early 2015, helping the Patriots beat the Seahawks.
He was mysteriously benched during the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss to the Eagles in early 2018, which remains a sore point for New England players and fans to this day.
Butler played four seasons with the Patriots and three seasons with the Titans, last appearing in an NFL game in 2020.
He announced his retirement earlier this month.
