Former Super Bowl hero arrested for DUI

Former New England Patriots star cornerback Malcolm Butler was arrested earlier this month.

According to police and court records that were obtained by WPRI, Butler was arrested in North Providence, R.I., on March 16. He was charged with driving under the influence five days later on March 21 and is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

A report from the North Providence Police Department states that officers observed a white Mercedes Benz stopped in the westbound lane of a road at 3:22 a.m. on March 16. Butler was behind the wheel of the car, which was blocking traffic. The 34-year-old told police he was “coming from a studio in Providence where he was making music.”

An officer wrote in the report that he could “detect a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from (Butler’s) breath.” Police also observed that Butler had “extremely slurred and delayed speech along with severely bloodshot watery eyes.” Officers said Butler was “sweating profusely” and responded “just take me to jail” when they asked if he had been drinking.

Butler refused to submit to a field sobriety or a blood test. His attorney John Harwood filed a motion to dismiss or suppress the charge and claimed Butler’s constitutional rights were violated.

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

Butler, who announced his retirement from the NFL earlier this month, began his career with the Patriots in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of West Alabama. He spent four seasons with the team and won two Super Bowls. The Patriots would not have won Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks without Butler making one of the best plays in NFL history.

Butler parlayed his success with New England into a five-year, $61 million contract with the Tennessee Titans in 2018. He spent some time with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021 before returning to the Patriots in 2022, though he did not play in a regular-season game in either season.