LeRoy Butler, the innovator of the Lambeau Leap and one of the best defensive backs in Green Bay Packers history, is back with the team for which he played 12 seasons.
Friday the Packers announced that during the 2003 season Butler will work as a special analyst for the team's official website, Packers.com.
"I'm elated about this opportunity," Butler said. "I'm so happy to be back with my family, and that's the Packers organization. Even since I stopped playing football, I have always felt like I was welcome in Green Bay, and it's going to be great to be involved again."
Butler, who last season worked as an analyst for ESPN.com, will provide two exclusive columns each week, previewing the Packers' upcoming game, reviewing the previous game and taking questions from Packers fans.
"I've had so many fans come up to me and tell me that they appreciated my open and honest interviews when I was a player," Butler said. "This is a great way for fans to get an in-depth look at the team from someone who has been on the field and in the locker room."
A member of the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1990s, Butler just missed becoming the first player in league history to record 40 career interceptions and 20 career sacks, standing just two picks shy of the milestone when a severe shoulder injury forced his retirement in July 2002.
Always a fan-favorite, he played in more games (181) than any defensive back in Packers history, and in 1993 made the first 'Lambeau Leap' in a 28-0 win over the Los Angeles Raiders.
Since retiring from the game, Butler co-authored his autobiography, 'The LeRoy Butler Story: From Wheelchair to the Lambeau Leap,' which is available for sale on his website, leroybutler36.com.
Butler's first column will appear Saturday, September 19, previewing the Packers' upcoming game against the Arizona Cardinals.
On the Monday following the game, Packers fans will have the opportunity to submit questions to Butler on Packers.com. Butler will answer some of those questions in his Tuesday column.
Originally launched in 1997, Packers.com was ranked in the top 10 of the 121 official major professional team websites (NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB) based on content, design, e-commerce and fan interactivity in a 2002 study by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal.
Routinely among the NFL's top-5 most-visited club sites, during the 2002 season Packers.com led all NFL club sites in traffic for the months of October, November and December.
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