After leading his team to the UFL title gameWade Phillips made a point of singling out one of his opponents for praise.
Phillips, coach of the San Antonio Brahmas, spoke to St. Louis Battlehawks wide receiver Hakeem Butler as TV cameras rolled and told Butler he belonged in the NFL.
“I’m going to tell everyone in the NFL that I talk to that you need to play,” Phillips told Butler. “You deserve it.”
A 2019 fourth-round pick of the Cardinals, Butler missed his entire rookie season with a broken hand and never played for Arizona, and he played just two NFL regular-season games, both with the Eagles, and never caught a pass.
But Butler was named to the Battlehawks’ All-UFL team this season and was one of the spring league’s best players. One of the reasons players sign up for spring football is because NFL scouts watch. He could end up in an NFL training camp thanks to his play in the UFL.
