Malcolm Butler is a heck of a story (and, at the risk of outing myself, our hometown guy, so guess who's been in scramble mode for the last two hours?)
He played two seasons of high school ball in Mississippi (freshman and senior years), got kicked out of his junior college following an arrest, and then went to work the drive thru at Popeye's. He kept seeing all of his old classmates come through asking what he was doing, and decided he didn't want to do that the rest of his life. So he got his act together, went back to school, got another shot at the juco and by all accounts has been a model citizen ever since. Went to a D-II school because he figured he'd have a better chance to play and was a two-time all-conference player.
He's said getting kicked out of the juco was the best thing that ever happened to him, so that ought to give you an idea of where his mind and attitude are at. Very humble, very gracious guy who realizes how fortunate he is to be where he's at right now.
Last summer he was undrafted and had two free agent offers -- from the Jets and the Patriots. The Jets' offer was better, but he signed with New England and blew everybody away in training camp to earn a roster spot.
And now he'll be on every Super Bowl highlight reel for the rest of eternity and is a Boston sports legend.
I know we're supposed to stay neutral in this business, but damn am I happy to see him have a moment like that.