News is coming in from the NFL fraternity about long-time Bucs defensive lineman who passed away at the age of 48.
JoeBucsFan has the details on his passing.
Former Bucs defensive lineman Tyoka Jackson announced on Twitter tonight that his former teammate and former Bucs defensive end Stephen White has passed away. White was 48.
Joe confirmed this information through an independent source.
Bucs fans may know that in recent years, White became sort of a social media celebrity for his football acumen. He was a guy who couldn’t get enough of breaking down his former team, the Bucs, and football in general. Periodically White would make local radio appearances to talk Bucs and NFL.
He also broke down NFL film for SB Nation and for a time, wrote a column for Joe.
White lived in the area and after his playing days spent a year as an assistant on Jim Leavitt’s staff at USF.
On his Twitter feed, White announced back in April he would be admitted to Moffitt Cancer Center “for at least a month” as he needed a bone marrow transplant in his battle with leukemia. White also noted on his Twitter feed he had been battling CLL cancer for some years.
White, who was a heavy Twitter user, last posted on the site on July 31. Since he joined the platform in August 2009, White amassed some 404,000 Twitter posts. He seldom posted on Twitter after announcing he would be admitted to Moffitt.
Joe knew of no one who was as much a football-holic as White.
White, who was a Memphis native, played at the University of Tennessee (briefly with Peyton Manning) and was drafted by the Eagles in 1996 in the sixth round, but didn’t make the squad. He found his way to the Bucs where he would play for six seasons.
White stayed with the Bucs through 2001 and left after Father Dungy was fired. Joe remembers White telling him that he knew his career was coming to an end and decided to go for the money. He lasted one more season in the NFL, playing for the Jets in 2002.
Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.
