New England Patriots running back James White’s father, Tyrone White, died in a car crash in Florida on Sunday, according to ESPN. White was inactive for the team’s 35-30 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. The accident happened around 1 p.m. ET in Cooper City, Florida.
Tyrone, a captain with the Miami-Dade police department, was involved in a two-car crash where one car flipped over and the other was on fire. Tyrone was pronounced dead on the scene while an air rescue team transported two people to a local hospital. James White’s mother, Lisa White, was one of the people who was taken to the hospital, and NBC reported she is in critical condition.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback and former Patriots teammate Tom Brady sent a message to James White on Twitter. “So heartbroken to hear the news of the tragedy of my great friend and forever teammate [James White],” Brady wrote. “There are few people that come into your life that do EVERYTHING the right way… James is one of them. Kind, gentle, loving, fiercely competitive and hardworking. His parents raised an amazing son. And we are all grieving with James as he is going through this difficult time. Love you my friend.”
During the game, the Patriots showed their support for White. After safety Devin McCourty returned an interception for a touchdown during the Seahawks’ opening drive of the game, he flashed two fingers in the air and then eight, which refers to White’s jersey number. After the game, White said: “Our hearts are heavy for James. It’s just tough, man. There’s no words you can say. Just wanted to go out there and play our hearts out for him. It’s just devastating. I was heartbroken for him.”
“We all have mothers and fathers, Patriots teammate Matthew Slater added. “To lose them, that’s never easy, for a tragedy like that to hit. It hit us all. Puts things in perspective. … There are things that are so much bigger than this game. And today was a reminder of that. Life is such a fragile thing.”
White, 28, has been with the Patriots since 2014 and has played a big role in the team’s last three Super Bowl wins. His best season was in 2018 when he caught 87 passes for 751 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 435 yards and five touchdowns.
