House Resolution 20

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING AND CONGRATULATING MALCOLM BUTLER FOR HIS OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE IN HELPING THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS WIN SUPER BOWL XLIX.

WHEREAS, Malcolm Butler, a cornerback for the New England Patriots and native of Vicksburg, Mississippi, won Super Bowl XLIX with the Patriots, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 28-24; and

WHEREAS, one year ago, Malcolm sat in his living room in Vicksburg watching the Super Bowl, hoping that he would get a chance to play in the most celebrated annual championship game some day; and

WHEREAS, Malcolm began his path to football history playing for Vicksburg High School, where even as a young high school student his coaches recognized his outstanding work ethic and potential for greatness; and

WHEREAS, Malcolm is proud of his life's experiences, which prepared him to become the hero of Super Bowl XLIX, mentioning in his postgame interview that he had worked at a Popeyes in Vicksburg, showing the world how hard he worked to get where he is today; and

WHEREAS, Malcolm's road to Super Bowl history was a rocky one, being kicked off the football team at Hinds Community College during his freshman year, and returning to Vicksburg and his job at Popeyes; and

WHEREAS, Malcolm, never giving up on his dream, had a plan and stuck to it, knowing that he was meant for so much more, and after realizing that becoming a football star was truly what he wanted, he enrolled at Alcorn State University, Lorman, Mississippi, in the spring of 2011; and

WHEREAS, Malcolm transferred back to Hinds after showing Hinds' football coaches he had changed enough to earn a second chance, and he rewarded their faith in him by excelling on and off the field, keeping his nose clean and earning All-State honors; and

WHEREAS, Malcolm left Hinds and went to Division II West Alabama, where he was a two-time All-Gulf South Conference cornerback; and

WHEREAS, even though Malcolm went undrafted last May, he was given a free agent tryout with the Patriots and showed up and showed out, earning a training camp invite, which led to a stellar preseason and a spot on the 53-man opening day roster; and

WHEREAS, through his consistently spectacular play during the regular season, Malcolm earned playing time during the biggest game of the year, Super Bowl XLIX; and

WHEREAS, during the championship game, Malcolm intercepted the pass from the Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, with 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter to guarantee the win for the Patriots, proclaiming to the world in resounding fashion that truly great football players come from the State of Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, Malcolm's superlative performance in Super Bowl XLIX was not limited to just one play, with him also breaking up a deep pass along the sideline to prevent a third down completion that would have moved the Seahawks into field goal range in the third quarter; and

WHEREAS, Malcolm consistently had great coverage on the receivers he was tasked with covering, which put pressure on the Seahawks quarterback, and in the fourth quarter he jumped into the air and batted down a ball intended for Jermaine Kearse, and even though Kearse came down with it, Malcolm had the presence of mind to ensure Kearse did not make it into the end zone; and

WHEREAS, with his innate work ethic putting him in the right position to make the game winning interception, Malcolm recognized the Seahawks plan to pick him from studying game film and jumped the route, beating the Seahawks receiver by a fraction of a second to snag the first interception of his professional career; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize and honor the achievements of outstanding Mississippi athletes such as Malcolm Butler who have brought great pride and honor to their community and to the State of Mississippi:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and congratulate Malcolm Butler for winning Super Bowl XLIX in such dramatic fashion and extend best wishes to him for continued success in all of his future athletic endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be furnished to Malcolm Butler, his family and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.