Bucs' Bowles: We made White inactive after LB said 'he couldn't go today'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles revealed Sunday that his decision to make Devin White a healthy scratch in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers came after the linebacker informed the team that he wasn't available.

"We made him inactive based on him saying he couldn't go today," Bowles said after a 34-20 victory over the Packers, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

White missed Weeks 13 and 14 due to a foot injury. He was originally listed as questionable for the Packers matchup but was a full participant at practice on Thursday and Friday.

"That's probably a question for him, but I'm sure he'd say his foot was sore," Bowles answered Sunday when asked if White said he couldn't play because of his injury. "But he told me he couldn't go so we played the guys we had to play."

K.J. Britt again got the start at inside linebacker as White's replacement.

White flew home with the Bucs after Week 15, but his status with the team is unclear. White's attitude hasn't sat well with some of his teammates and coaches, reports Stroud.

White was at odds with Tampa Bay in the offseason and requested a trade in April. However, the Buccaneers ultimately kept their former first-round pick.

The 25-year-old has racked up 69 tackles (three for loss), three pass breakups, two sacks, and one interception across 11 appearances this season. White was one of the Bucs' best defensive players after entering the NFL as the fifth overall pick in 2019.

The former Pro Bowler - whose contract expires at the end of the 2023 campaign - earned a second-team All-Pro berth in 2020 while helping the club win the Super Bowl that season.

The Buccaneers are one of the NFC's hottest teams at the moment having won three in a row. They lead the South with a 7-7 record.

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