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Devin White sent shockwaves throughout the NFL world after he decided to demand a trade from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is after White failed to negotiate a big-money extension with the Bucs, knowing full well that he does not want to play the fifth and final year of Tampa Bay's team option on his contract that's going to be worth just $11.7 million.
Buccaneers veteran Lavonte David has been a big brother to White throughout their stint together as teammates. As such, it isn't at all surprising that David has been in White's ear throughout this ordeal. According to the 33-year-old, who himself recently signed a one-year extension with Tampa, White still remains committed to the squad:
“His emotions got the best of him,” David said Wednesday at AdventHealth Training Center, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “I know Devin wants to be here, he wants to play here. Emotions got the best of him. He’s here. He’s here ready to work. He’s not ready to go right now, but he’ll be getting himself ready for training camp.”
David then shared the exact message he delivered to White amid all the drama surrounding his contract dispute with the Buccaneers:
“‘Don’t let your emotions get the best of you,’ ” David said he told White. ” ‘Sometimes that can backfire against you and be used against you. Everybody knows you’re not that type of person. I know you’re a very passionate person, not a very emotional one. So, show your passion. Show that you love the game and you want to be here for the city of Tampa, for the organization of Tampa and you love playing football with your teammates.’
“He’s a captain. He’s a leader, and a lot guys look up to him. As a young football player, he came into this game the (fifth) overall pick and made an immediate impact for us, and we definitely need him out there, and he knows that. Devin, he’s growing into a leader himself. For me to be here and watch him grow and watch him improve through the years has definitely been great to see.”
David is definitely looking out for White here and the elder statesman clearly just wants what's best for his young Buccaneers teammate. Hopefully, his sage advice is something that White takes to heart.
“That’s definitely a part of the process, and that’s something I did talk to him about,” David said. “Sometimes you may feel disrespected, but you can’t let that get to you. You can only control what you can control, and that’s to go out there and put the best tape on the field, and everything will take care of itself.
“I don’t know what went on with all that or whatever, but I just hollered at him after the fact. I just talked to him about what can happen after that. I talked to him about how we feel about him, how I feel about him, and him and his business side, they take over. Just me, as a friend and a teammate, I try to control that part of it.”
David is definitely speaking from experience here, having been around the block for quite some time now. During that span, the one-time All-Pro linebacker has been through his fair share of taxing contract negotiations as well. It hasn't always been peaches and cream, but for the most part, it has worked out well for the Buccaneers veteran. This is exactly the type of mentality he wants to instill in Devin White, as David hopes to still share the same uniform with his young protege this coming season.
