New England Patriots Could be Investigated for Benching Malcolm Butler at Voluntary OTAs

The New England Patriots are under fire once again and this time, it has nothing to do with deflated footballs.

The Boston Herald first reported Wednesday that the Patriots benched Malcolm Butler, the hero of Super Bowl XLIX, after he showed up late to voluntary OTA practice on May 26. Butler has missed his flight the night before due to weather issues.

Jeff Howe wrote, "It's a hard disciplinary measure for the second-year cornerback and Super Bowl hero, who did alert the team about his canceled flight, but players are often advised to travel early enough to avoid unanticipated delays. Still, the three-week ban is longer than any known discipline of Patriots players for such incidents in the past, especially during a voluntary workout program."

Since this incident, Butler reportedly has been kept off the field. Despite being sidelined, Butler has still been attending the meetings, film sessions and weight-training workouts.

According to Albert Breer with NFL Network, the NFL Players Association could be looking into the Patriots to see if they violated CBA Article 21, Section 5 (a).

Breer tweeted:

Safe to assume the NFLPA is looking into the Malcolm Butler situation. CBA terms in play here. pic.twitter.com/SQFgwBUtJ9

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 10, 2015

Per source, the NFLPA is indeed looking into potential violation of CBA Article 21, Section 5(a) by the Patriots -- re: Malcolm Butler. — Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) June 10, 2015

Patriots coach Bill Bellichick has a no-tolerance policy for players who show up late, regardless of the reason. In 2014, Bellichick reportedly sent home Darrelle Revis, who is now with the New York Jets and Jonas Gray after they showed up late during separate incidents of the regular season. In 2009, Bellichick sent home four players who were late due to a snowstorm.

Despite his strict policy, Bellichick has never sat out a player for several weeks during voluntary sessions.

Butler, who intercepted a game-winning pass thrown by Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson, should be attending practice as early as Thursday. The team's mandatory minicamp runs from June 16-18.