Super Bowl 2015: New England Patriots' Malcolm Butler on pivotal interception
It's a play that will live in Super Bowl history. With less than 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Seattle Seahawks were mere feet away from the glory of a Super Bowl repeat, but one huge play from cornerback Malcolm Butler sealed the New England Patriots' fourth championship title. The rookie free agent from West Alabama made a goal-line interception that prevented Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockette from catching a go-ahead TD pass from quarterback Russell Wilson.
"I've seen the route at practice. And Josh Boyce beat me on it in practice and Bill was telling me, 'You've got to be on it,'" Wilson said Monday on "CBS This Morning." "So memorization and preparation took over and I just said 'Jump the route and make the play."
Many consider the the Seahawks' decision to put the ball in the air in that position to be strange.. Even Butler admitted he wasn't expecting it.
- CBSSports: Pete Carroll's decision astonishing, explanation perplexing
- CBSSports: How unlikely was Russell Wilson's interception?
"I was expecting them to run. I just drove on the ball and made play because I know we needed it," Butler said.
As the play developed, he knew he had to act fast.
"I felt like if we would have lost the game, it would have been my fault even though I gave them my best effort," Butler said.
Bu the now-famed cornerback hasn't always been in the spotlight. He once worked at a Popeyes, and last year he wasn't even playing on a football team.
"I believe in God, I'm truly blessed, and just prayed all this week. I pray in other times too," Butler said. "I just had to wake up this morning and really just be like 'Was this real? Is this real?"
"It was the perfect play at the perfect time," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said Monday morning.
Brady said that Butler made his mark in off-season workouts and practice, displaying excellent speed and instincts.
"He's been doing that to me in practice all season so it was nice to see him pick someone else off," Brady said.
For Butler's full interview, watch the video in the player above.