FOXBOROUGH — Eric Rowe said he knew it was coming. The game plan in Super Bowl LII was for Malcolm Butler to be demoted to the role previously held by Johnson Bademosi, as the No. 4 cornerback and punt team gunner.

“I knew the game plan. It wasn’t like going in blindfolded,’’ Rowe said Friday. “But like I said, I didn’t question it. You just got to keep playing.’’

Rowe never has received an explanation from Bill Belichick, either. Nearly six months later, Rowe still doesn’t know why Belichick sat Butler after playing him 98 percent of the time on defense leading up to the game. Belichick never explained the decision to the team, or the public.

“It’s not my business,’’ Rowe said. “Obviously I would never question a coach’s decision, playing time or not, because I know everything is earned out here.’’

The Patriots players look like they have moved on from the controversial decision. Training camp has begun, and dwelling on Butler’s benching won’t help the players make the team this training camp, win games this fall, or earn a new contract next offseason.

“I mean, it’s over with,’’ safety Duron Harmon said. “It’s all what-ifs now. What-if is not going to change anything. What is the point of going back in the past and trying to go over that and trying to find answers, when in all reality it doesn’t even matter anymore? We’re onto the 2018 season.’’

Belichick is no stranger to criticism, of course. He was roasted for going for it on fourth and 2 in Indianapolis. He was ridiculed for getting too cute in 2015 losses to Miami and Philadelphia that lost the Patriots home-field advantage.

But this year is different. While the players may have moved on, the fans still have not.

The Butler benching was the No. 1 Patriots topic on Boston sports talk radio as the team opened camp last week — and in the upset of the year, Patriots fans mostly sided with the media over Belichick on this issue.

“Malcolm Butler is the big one,’’ team broadcaster and 98.5-FM host Scott Zolak said this summer. “Everyone would love to see, turn the page and move on. But I don’t know when this is going to be dead, I really don’t.’’

It’s not the only controversial decision still rankling Patriots fans. The Jimmy Garoppolo trade last fall continues to raise questions about Belichick’s motivations. Last week came more confirmation from Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated that Belichick took a lesser offer for Garoppolo than one he had on the table. He previously said no to the Browns’ offer of a first-round pick, then at the trade deadline called up the 49ers and offered Garoppolo for a second-rounder.

Belichick never explained the Butler or Garoppolo decisions. And the deference afforded to Belichick — “In Bill We Trust’’ — has seemingly taken a hit with a chunk of the fan base.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for an explanation, either.

Belichick called Butler’s benching a “football decision,’’ and that’s all he’s going to give.

“If he hasn’t done it already it won’t happen, because he’ll go to, ‘That was last season, what happened last season is last season, it has no bearing on this season,’’’ former Patriots center Damien Woody said. “If he was going to address it, it would have been done like a long time ago.’’

The one person to watch this fall is Robert Kraft. He’s the steward of the organization, in charge of caring for it long after Belichick and Brady are gone. He’s the one who has to make sure that Belichick is acting in the best interests of the Patriots, and not his own.

Kraft, to his credit, has said all the right things about Belichick this offseason.

“We try to encourage to have good managers, we want them to be bold, we want them to take risks,’’ Kraft said in late March. “As a fan, I can question some of the moves. As someone who is privileged to be the owner of this team, I encourage him to keep going with his instincts and doing what he thinks is right.’’

But it will be interesting to monitor the Kraft-Belichick dynamic this fall. Does Belichick still have full control over the groceries? And if Belichick does make another controversial decision that costs the Patriots a championship again, is that Strike Three?

Belichick stood in the middle of the huddle at the end of Friday’s practice, addressing the 90 players and several dozen staffers. Tom Brady listened attentively, then joined hands with Dont’a Hightower in the center of the huddle to break down the team.

As the Patriots open training camp, it looks like life is back to normal. Belichick has the respect of his quarterback, and the team snaps to attention when he speaks.

If players are still upset with Belichick, it likely won’t manifest on the field this fall. The Patriots are still Super Bowl favorites.

“I’m 1,000 percent confident [in Belichick]. I’ll never doubt his decisions,’’ Rowe said.

“Malcolm has moved on, he’s with the Tennessee Titans now, and it’s time that we do the same,’’ Harmon said.

Except that hasn’t been so easy for Patriots fans this time.

Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenVolin.