MINNEAPOLIS — Sooner or later, and the betting here is on sooner, somebody’s gonna spill on Malcolm Butler.

We will get details, such as what he did to Patriots coach Bill Belichick, what he said, what he didn’t say, that resulted in Butler being left on the cutting room floor as the rest of the defense was being shredded by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.

Maybe Butler said or did something outrageously stupid, and Pats fans may agree that Belichick had every right to bench the guy.

Or maybe it was something petty, perhaps some locker room he-disrespected-me thing that could have/should have been overlooked, emotions being what they are at the Super Bowl. Belichick won’t come out of it looking good.

What’s certain is that Patriots fans have a right to know what’s going on with the team they have followed over the years with faithful devotion.

As for their beloved coach, whose every move is typically applauded with a simple, one-size-fits-all “In Bill We Trust,” that’s not going to work this time.

Do your job, Bill. Be honest with the fans who for nearly two decades have bought every ticket to every game at Gillette Stadium, and who routinely empty the shelves at the Patriots Pro Shop.

This isn’t training camp. It’s not the draft. It’s not a middle-of-the-week presser leading up to a November game against the Buffalo Bills.

This is the Super Bowl, and in this edition of pro football’s Big Game the Patriots lost because they rolled out a second-rate defense that couldn’t contain a backup quarterback.

Belichick spoke via conference call yesterday morning. The sound quality was so bad it suggested something from a 1950s sci-fi movie but it was clear he was in no mood to gather everyone around the campfire and explain what really went into his decision to not play Butler, who had played more defensive snaps than anyone else on the team before the Super Bowl.

The coach tossed Butler a bone by saying he respected the cornerback’s “competitiveness.”

“I’m sure he feels like he could have helped,” Belichick said. “I’m sure the players felt the same way. In the end we have to make the decisions that we feel are best for the football team. That’s what we did. That’s what I did.”

This is boilerplate Belichick. He’d tell you he was making the decisions he feels are best for the football team if you asked him about the paint schemes in the Gillette Stadium weight room.

He was asked if he considered putting Butler in during the game and said, “I just covered that.”

He didn’t, actually.

He was asked why he believed not using Butler would give the Patriots the best chance to win.

“I appreciate the question, but it would be a much longer discussion,” Belichick said. “There are a lot of things that go into that. In the end, the final decision is what I said it was.”

Pats fans will always remember Malcolm Butler, who will become an unrestricted free agent next month, as the hero of the Patriots’ stunning 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks three years ago in Super Bowl XLIX. His interception of quarterback Russell Wilson’s would-be game-winning touchdown pass remains the biggest in Super Bowl history and is a top-shelf Great Boston Sports Moment.

But he missed the Pats’ “Opening Night” Super Bowl Week festivities last week because of what was described as a bout with the flu, and on Wednesday was a limited participant in practice. All systems were go on Friday, however, and the expectation was that he’d play in Super Bowl LII. He did play but only on special teams.

To complicate matters, questions are being raised inside the Patriots’ immediate family.

Former Patriots cornerback Ty Law, who this past Saturday fell short of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, tweeting on his @OfficialTylaw handle, wrote, “We need to get to bottom of this Malcolm Butler situation, I’m baffled about this one. We needed that man on the field.”

Former Pats cornerback Brandon Browner was much less delicate, posting an Instagram video in which he said, “Man, Bill wasn’t right at all tonight, man. I ain’t know how to feel watching that (expletive) without my man, without my homie, without Malcolm.”

Linebacker Dont’a Hightower, on injured reserve for much of this season, “liked” Browner’s Instagram rant.

A random sampling of tweets from folks who appear to be Patriots fans included the likes of, “Not playing your best corner in the Super Bowl isn’t in the best interest of the team,” “Obviously that decision was wrong,” and, “The fact that Butler was dressed for the game and didn’t play just makes no sense.”

However this plays out, whatever is said, or not said, Belichick’s place in NFL history is secure. If you don’t understand this, simply get on down to Nantucket and ask him to show you his collection of Super Bowl rings.

But it’s not unfair to wonder if Belichick screwed up Super Bowl LII.

A Dont’a Hightower “elite” jersey sells for $324.99 on the Patriots Pro Shop website. It says there that purchasing one of these jerseys “allows you to support the New England Patriots linebacker.”

It also means you’re supporting the Patriots, which should allow you some insight as to how they’re run.