Devin White Denies Quitting on Buccaneers After Being Inactive vs. Packers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White didn't quit on his team after all.

"I've just been seeing a lot of stuff saying like, that I quit on my team," White, who was inactive for Tampa Bay's victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, said, per Jenna Laine of ESPN. "I don't understand how I could do that when it was a personal—like for me and Coach [Todd] Bowles—decision to sit down and rest to be able to help my team. And even when I haven't been playing, I've been in the building. I've been out there just supporting them. ... I'll never quit on my team."

Laine noted former NFL player Richard Sherman said on FS1's Undisputed that White did not want to be a rotational player or backup to K.J. Britt, which is why he was inactive.

In reality, White said he was still dealing with a foot injury that sidelined him the previous two games.

"He was medically cleared to play, then he indicated that he didn't feel right," Bowles said. "He informed me that he couldn't play—he couldn't go. We had ongoing conversations until Sunday morning. I decided to deactivate him. When he got to the stadium, he found out he was inactive."

White also praised Britt for his play and said he would be "perfectly fine" with rotating with Britt down the stretch.

As for the situation as a whole, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported Wednesday that the NFL is reviewing Tampa Bay's handling of White's injury status leading up to the game.

Florio explained Bowles said White made it clear he couldn't play in the days leading up to the game, yet the Buccaneers did not downgrade the linebacker from questionable to out. White also traveled to Green Bay, which he may not have done if it was clear he wasn't going to play.

The LSU product hasn't played since a loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 26.

Fortunately for the Buccaneers, they are 3-0 in his absence and sit atop the NFC South with a 7-7 record. Baker Mayfield threw for 381 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in a dominant performance against the Packers, and the team now controls its destiny heading into a Week 16 showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It seems like Tampa Bay will have White back for that game, which could be a significant boost considering he was a 2021 Pro Bowler who tallied more than 120 tackles in each of the last three seasons.