VICKSBURG, Miss. -- Malcolm Butler tried to turn the world off. Dozens of calls and texts went unanswered. These were the most difficult 24 hours of his NFL career and the then-New England Patriots cornerback wanted room to breathe.
Images of tears flowing down his face during the Super Bowl LII national anthem filled sports talk shows. These tears, much different than the ones he shed after Super Bowl XLIX three years before, carried more pain than anyone will know. Rumors drug Butler's name through the dirt. He felt a range of emotions, from anger to frustration to bewilderment.