WHITE REVEALS HIS PLIGHT
First-round pick’s admission serves as another strike against GM Pace
Just when it seemed like Bears general manager Ryan Pace’s track record with firstround draft picks couldn’t look any worse, former No. 7 overall selection Kevin White alleged Tuesday that the team prioritized “politics” over giving him a chance in 2018.
Even worse, White admitted he “checked out” in response.
“Business, business, business, business, business. Business went wrong,” White, now a free-agent wide receiver, told NBC Sports. “That year was the best football I played since I’d been there.
“In [organized team activities] and camp, I’m not saying it was perfect every single day, but it was just stacking the days up how I stacked it. It was ridiculous. Then I got frustrated.”
Pace had declined White’s fifth-year option for 2019, and White felt the Bears were already moving on from him despite his performance in practice, giving preferential treatment to other receivers. Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel had just signed big contracts, and Anthony Miller was a second-round pick.
White’s contention is questionable, considering Robinson and Gabriel finished first and third, respectively, in receiving yards in 2018. And Miller, despite a shoulder injury, nearly doubled White’s career yardage in his rookie season.
In any case, after years of being hampered by injuries, then feeling shut out once he was finally thriving, White reached his limit. He would even “give the wrong answer on purpose” when coaches questioned him about the playbook in practice, he said.
The Bears let him walk in free agency last year after 25 catches, 285 yards and no touchdowns in 14 games over four seasons. The Cardinals and Lions gave him a shot in the offseason, but he was out of football in 2019. He turns 28 next month and indicated he wants to keep playing.
Regardless of the reasons, White goes down as one of the worst draft picks in Bears history and the first in a string of big misses by Pace. The next year, he chose Leonard Floyd ninth overall. Floyd never materialized as a pass rusher, and the Bears cut him this year after 18oe sacks in four seasons.
Pace hit rock bottom — one would hope — in 2017 by trading up to take quarterback Mitch Trubisky second overall instead of Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes.
White says he holds no grudge against Pace or former coach John Fox. Instead, he said, the biggest reason he feels “gypped” is because his inability to stay healthy cost him a chance to have a fantastic career.
“BUSINESS, BUSINESS, BUSINESS, BUSINESS, BUSINESS. BUSINESS WENT WRONG.” KEVIN WHITE