When you mention the name Kevin White, there are a lot of things that come to mind. But one word sums it up best: Bust.
When you mention the name Kevin White, there are a lot of things that come to mind. But one word sums it up best: Bust.
The former No. 7 overall pick failed to live up to his first-round billing during his four years in Chicago. Injuries halted any sort of progress he could’ve — should’ve — made during his career. But perhaps the most frustrating thing is the “what ifs.” What could White have become if he’d actually been on the field?
There are many people that consider White a bust — arguably the Bears’ biggest in the last several years. And White would agree with their assessment.
“People can say bust or whatever the case may be, and it is attached to my name by default,” White said in an interview with NBC Sports Chicago. “So I think for me, okay, you can say Kevin White’s a bust because it didn’t work out. Absolutely.
“But you can’t say Kevin White can’t play this game or Kevin White can’t get open or Kevin White’s dropping passes. You couldn’t say any of that. Not at practice, not in the little bit of games that I did play.
“You could say injuries, you know, held me back but you can’t say I was out there and just pissed it all (away) — you can’t say that. So that’s how I deal with it.”
For White, the issue has always been injuries. In four years with the Bears, White suffered three serious injuries that limited him to just 14 games during that time, where he racked up just 285 receiving yards.
White acknowledged that injuries and missing that on-field experience has hampered any opportunity for him to prove he can play in the league. When the Bears let him walk and hit free agency, he signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. But a Grade 3 hamstring tear in Cardinals camp ended his time in Arizona before it even started.
“If I was out there playing, healthy and I couldn’t get open, getting strapped every play or dropping balls — okay, I can take that and yeah, I didn’t do well, I haven’t been playing well and I’m a bust because of my numbers,” White said. “But with injuries and not being out there, I can’t do anything.”
White’s frustration with how his NFL career has panned out is understandable. But while White’s certainly upset with his injury struggles, he’s determined not to let that consume his life.
“I got dealt bust cards and can’t cry about it, complain about it, but it is kind of a punch in the stomach,” White said. “It’s like, I got all the talent in the world, done it the right way. Like why, God? What am I doing wrong? What do you want me to see out of being hurt year after year after year?
“You can’t let one thing in your life — OK, let’s say I never play a down of football ever again. I can’t let that consume the rest of my life. That’s like a smidge compared to, hopefully, how long I’m gonna live. But it’s also a big part of my life so I do care about it, I do think about it but I’m not going to let it consume my life.”
White remains a free agent, where he’s still waiting for his second chance to prove that he can make something of himself. Whether that chance ever comes remains to be seen.
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