TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers starting inside linebacker and 2019 No. 5 draft pick Devin White said Wednesday he did not "quit on his team" when, after two practices in which he was a full participant last week, he was inactive in a must-win game at the Green Bay Packers Sunday.
White said he was still dealing with the effects of a foot injury that kept him out of the two previous games. He also said that inactive status was not because he declined a rotational role or did not want to sit behind replacement K.J. Britt, which was reported by former teammate Richard Sherman on FS1's "Undisputed" TV show.
"I've just been seeing a lot of stuff saying like, that I quit on my team," White said. "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."
White said he was "feeling a little bit of discomfort" Friday, but his injury status going into Sunday's game was unchanged despite the team changing the statuses of both defensive tackle Vita Vea and safety Ryan Neal on Saturday morning, after the final injury reports were turned in Friday.
"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."
When asked how the decision sat with him, White said, "It didn't sit no way with me. K.J. been playing well all year since I've been out. I'm proud of him. That's what we do. That's what he got drafted here to do, to be a great player that can step in for me and Lavonte [David] and he's did just that. Just like I was supporting him when I wasn't playing, if I did play, I was going to support him, whatever the case may be."
White called the injury "one of the toughest things I've ever dealt with. ... My mindset is like, 'Man, I got to be out there. I make the team go. I make the defense go. But if you can't be yourself, then you can't really go out there and help your team -- more so hurting them.' And that's something that me and Coach Bowles had like a father-to-son talk, because that's how I look at him. He's like, 'D, I got to get you back healthy. I got to help you get healthy so you can help the team.'"
When asked whether he would be OK rotating with Britt, he said, "Oh that would be perfectly fine. They on a three-game winning streak. So that's really good. Because we're trying to fight to get in the playoffs. And I know there will be something for me to do to help contribute, whether it's cheering them on even more. Everybody can go back and watch the Panthers game. I was on the sideline in the rain. I could have went up to my box and watched the game. I stayed on the sideline to be there for those guys."
Bowles said Wednesday that White is now "full go" and will be "ready to play" against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Regarding the team's handling of White's injury reporting, a league spokesperson told ESPN that the NFL "will review the matter with the club."