Devin White’s Father Passed A Few Days Ago

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers inside linebacker Devin White burst through the A-gap and pummeled Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith late in the second quarter before blowing a kiss to the sky and making the sign of the cross.

He'd do the same thing in the third quarter, but this time coming around the corner and stripping the ball from Smith, who threatened to score at the Tampa Bay 9-yard line, in a play that helped salvage the Bucs' 21-16 victory and quite possibly their season.

"It was just like, 'This one is for you," said White, 24, who pushed aside the pain of losing his father three days ago to play. He made two critically important plays, including the Bucs' defense's first takeaway in five games.

… Just two hours before the Buccaneers' chartered flight departed for Munich, Germany, White got a phone call around 3 p.m. that his father, Carlos Thomas, had unexpectedly died at the age of 45. The circumstances surrounding his death remain a mystery to White, who said the whole experience has been "unreal."

"For him to even get on the plane, it happened right before we were leaving, and he still got on the plane to play the ballgame," coach Todd Bowles said. "Lose your dad right before you're getting ready to go to Germany and to come out and still play says a lot about the guy."

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