Buccaneers Optimistic Devin White Will Attend Mandatory Minicamp Next Month
It's fair to scratch your head when you see a headline that indicates a player is expected to participate in a minicamp that is in fact mandatory.
That said, in the case of Devin White, there are other factors at work.
It's been a peculiar offseason for White, who over the course of the last few months, has sent out a number of cryptic messages on social media. Understandably, these posts led many fans and media members to question his commitment to the Buccaneers.
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But White was quick to shut down any such accusations on Twitter.
However, shortly after refuting the suggestion that his social media posts were in any way related to his commitment — or lack thereof — to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization, he requested a trade.
As you can imagine, that trade request led to a lot of negative discourse throughout the Buccaneers' fan community. And although some took the opportunity to defend White's stance, the majority of fans did not sympathize with the Bucs' talented linebacker, especially after he had recently denied being unhappy.
Regardless, the Buccaneers made it very clear they would not be trading Devin White.
But as is often the case with these types of trade requests — which have become increasingly more common in the NFL in recent years — when they don't come to fruition, and the player begins to realize they are at risk of losing a lot of money if they choose to hold out, they tend to come around and report to camp.
And although White, along with many other veteran players, was absent from the Bucs' voluntary OTA's last week, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Buccaneers expect Devin White to show up when the rest of his teammates take the field for the team's mandatory minicamp next month (June 13-15).
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Although Stroud didn't offer any specific details regarding why the Buccaneers are optimistic about White's participation in minicamp, Stroud's strong connections to the Bucs' organization are enough to lend credibility to such a report.
It's never positive for a team, in any sport, when one of their players — let alone a team captain — is disgruntled. But if there's one positive to be taken away from this particular situation, it's that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers expect Devin White to show up when he's required to do so.
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