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Most Seahawks fans would probably like to pull an Eternal Sunshine and permanently erase the ending of Super Bowl XLIX from their minds, but the Patriots have gone out of their way to dredge up that memory by tapping Malcolm Butler as their “Keeper of the Light” when they host Seattle on Sunday.
Super Bowl XLIX was a back-and-forth contest between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, and the squad representing the NFC in the championship showdown found itself needing to execute a two-minute drill to score a touchdown after Tom Brady gave his guys a 28-24 lead toward the end of the fourth quarter.
However, the tables turned as Russell Wilson and Co. mounted an impressive drive down the field, and it seemed like there was no way the Seahawks were going to be able to lose after setting up shop on the goal line with three chances to score and a timeout in hand.
Everyone on the planet assumed Marshawn Lynch was going to get the call, which is probably why the Seahawks deviated from that strategy and opted for the passing play that resulted in one of the most dramatic endings in Super Bowl history after Malcolm Butler snagged the interception that sealed the deal for New England.
The Seahawks and their supporters have had close to a decade to allow that wound to heal, but the Patriots are doing what they can to try to claw it back open.
On Thursday, the team announced Butler will be the “Keeper of the Light” tasked with ringing the bell atop the 22-story lighthouse at Gillette Stadium prior to kickoff as part of a Super Bow XLIX reunion that will feature more than 20 members of the squad that helped secure the franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy.
It’s worth noting the current Seahawks roster doesn’t feature any players from the team that had a knife driven through its heart by Butler in 2015; Tyler Lockett, Seattle’s longest-tenured player, joined after he was selected in the ensuing NFL Draft.
With that said, I can’t help but respect the pettiness.