Early problems with White aren’t worrying Tennessee

By Connor Byrne  |   Thursday, August 10, 2006  |  Comments( 2 )

Tennessee Titans
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Things got heated at Tennessee Titans training camp on Thursday, as rookie running back LenDale White incited a brawl with one of the team's safeties, Donnie Nickey. After bumping each other a couple times, White reportedly spit in the face of Nickey, causing an ugly pair of scuffles between the two and some other Titan teammates.

Nickey, in fact, took his helmet off and swung it at White during the second bout, leading head coach Jeff Fisher to go off on a verbal tirade. He claimed that a player taking his helmet off will result in a one-month suspension in the future. Afterwards, Fisher was a little calmer.

"Donnie understands, and LenDale understands he crossed the line. You just don't do that. It will not happen again. I assure you it will not happen again," Fisher told surrounding media members.

White, who clearly had first-round talent, fell all the way to the 45th pick in April's draft, where the Titans scooped up the former USC Trojans star. Entering the proceedings, many were worried about White's perceived attitude problems.

Last season, the 238-pound White had a nation-leading 26 total touchdowns and added 1,302 ground yards, helping power the men of Troy to a berth in the National Championship Game, eventually losing to the Texas Longhorns.

Though White does have supreme talent, this brawl heaves more fuel onto the fire for his detractors. The bruising back may be somewhat rough around the edges, but camp fights like this are often forgotten immediately. Because of that, it's not necessarily anything to worry about. However, should it happen again, the Titans could have a few things worth fretting over.

Having said that, though, there's no excuse for White to spit in anyone's face, let alone a veteran teammate. The 26-year-old Nickey may not be a household name to anyone outside Nashville, but he has been in the league for three years and deserves far more respect from a rookie teammate.

At the end of the day, this kind of fierce competition is welcomed by the Tennessee Titans during the regular season. If the 22-year-old White manages to bring the same sort of passion to the game as he did in Thursday's training camp practice, he should pick up right where he left off in college - as a dominant ball carrier unafraid of any opposing defender.

For White everything begins this Saturday, when he and his teammates will work in cohesion to beat the New Orleans Saints in their first preseason game.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com

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