Patriots S Devin McCourty reacts to Malcolm Butler’s season ending on IR
FOXBORO — At 32 years old, Malcolm Butler was tracking to be one of the oldest players on the Patriots’ Week 1 roster and one of the few with multiple Super Bowl rings.
But after Butler’s season ended with his placement on injured reserve Tuesday, he’ll have to wait at least another year to don a Patriots uniform. Butler’s departure reminded three-time champion and captain Devin McCourty that there are few like him left in the locker room. So McCourty, 35, reached out to tell him to stay close to the facility.
“Tough, man. Malcolm’s kind of in my stratosphere of being older, and I think any time you go through that, it’s tough mentally,” McCourty said Wednesday. “I texted him the other day just from all of us … I’m fortunate I’ve never been on IR, but the feeling of not always being around the team, the camaraderie, the brotherhood we build, you kind of miss some of that stuff that within your group.
“(I’m) always staying in contact with those guys and encouraging them to come in.”
Fourth-year cornerback Joejuan Williams was also placed on injured reserve Tuesday with a shoulder injury. McCourty mentioned contacting Williams as well, while the Patriots move forward with a cornerbacks room that consists of Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Terrance Mitchell, Shaun Wade, Justin Bethel and rookies Jack Jones and Marcus Jones.
Butler had been repping with the second-team defense during training camp and played in last week’s preseason opener, when most starters sat. He did not practice Monday or Tuesday prior to being placed on IR.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/L509hVd
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