Hours before Buccanneers linebacker Devin White got on a flight to Germany, he received a phone call that his father died.
Instead of grieving about the “unreal” and unexpected death, White turned to football and provided one of his best performances this season just three days after his dad’s passing. The Pro Bowl linebacker led Tampa Bay’s defense to capturing a crucial 21-16 win over the Seahawks in Munich.
White led his team with eight combined tackles, along with two sacks and a forced fumble. And after statement defensive plays, like when he sacked Geno Smith and later caused the Seahawks quarterback to fumble, he blew a kiss to the sky and made a sign of the cross to honor his dad. “It was just like ‘This one is for you,'” White later told ESPN about the emotional celebrations.
“It was very hard to play,” White told reporters after the game. “Just a lot of emotions. But I tried to turn them into good emotions and just keep a great spirit. That’s the relationship we had — just all about ball.”
Devin White provided one of his best performances of the season on Sunday in Germany. Photo by Roland Krivec/DeFodi Images via Getty Images
Buccaneers’ Vita Vea (r.) and Devin White celebrate during the Buccaneers’ win on Sunday. REUTERSWhite said he kept his dad’s death close to himself and it was tough dealing with it, especially, when he was alone. But the linebacker said football became the main focus, with it all being about “doing the correct things.”
White and Tampa Bay climbed to 5-5 with Sunday’s win after an abysmal start to the season. Like his team, and especially Tom Brady, White faced criticism for his play, with Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp saying the linebacker’s captaincy should be taken away.
White, however, knew “he had a job to do” on Sunday, despite all things going on around him.
“I just wasn’t going to accept no pats on the back and stuff,” White said. “So I just put my head down and just kept going forward.”
