Patriots' "honorary Bombardier" retires.

James White became one of the Patriots' best leaders, on and off the field.

Several years ago, when the New England Patriots made running back James White of Wisconsin their fourth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, I got a tip from someone close to the draft braintrust. White, it turned out, was almost a "local."

Sometimes, those are dreaded words to hear while covering an NFL Draft. 

It's one thing to know if you have a local athlete that's projected to be a draft pick, as it was for me when North Attleboro native Anthony Sherman was eligible for the 2011 draft. You prepare in advance with interview requests and phone numbers at your fingertips, and you can move quickly and purposefully when the player's name is announced.

That made it relatively simple for me to jump into action when the Arizona Cardinals made Sherman their fifth-round pick in 2011. Within an hour of the selection, I was on my way to Sherman's family home in North Attleboro to interview him and his parents, and thus fulfill my responsibility as the reporter of record for the local daily newspaper.

But James White's situation was different. He was a native of Fort Lauderdale, which was a long way from The Sun Chronicle's circulation area. But my tipster told me that the young man's aunt and uncle lived in nearby South Attleboro and had since 1989 -- which, of course, would be of great interest to the readership of the local paper. But other than the names of White's relatives, I had nothing to go on -- and not a lot of time to track them down before that night's deadline.

James White chats with the media
in the week leading to Super Bowl 51.

That's when the training and experience kicks in. I used every search engine possible to find the phone number of Arnold and Desiree McNeil, called several times, left pleasant (but urgent) messages asking them to return the call -- and then I waited. 

Just about the time I started to feel a little desperate about whether I would get an actual scoop (or be beaten to it by the metropolitan papers), I got the calls -- first from Arnold McNeil, then from his wife, the latter being the sister of James White's father. The conversations were pleasant and productive, and the next day's newspaper rewarded its readers with a feel-good local story that nobody else had.

And to me, that's a good way to regard the eight-year career of White, who retired today as the result of the serious hip injury he suffered last year. It was always a feel-good story, and not just because of what he accomplished on the field.

It was during the conversation with his aunt that I learned the most about James White, the person, as opposed to the football player. I learned he was grounded and humble and the sort of young man that would totally dedicate himself to self-improvement and helping his team succeed. As time passed, and White fulfilled those expectations, I often jokingly referred to him as an "honorary Bombardier," employing the sports nickname of Attleboro High School as a well-meaning reference to his family ties in the city.

“Sweet Feet,” as James would come to be known, became probably the best among a line of productive third-down backs in the Patriots’ offense. Steady and reliable in that role over the majority of his career, his amazing performance in the second half and overtime of Super Bowl 51 in Houston made the difference in the Patriots’ comeback from a 28-3 deficit to the Atlanta Falcons -- and I think he should have been MVP of the game because of it.

But that was just a sample of his on-field contributions. In many ways, White deserves to be remembered as fondly for what kind of a player he was off the field and in the locker room.

Never boisterous, White was the epitome of players that are able to become strong locker-room leaders by example. Soft-spoken and thoughtful, he displayed a constant and unflinching work ethic that was respected and admired by every member of the organization. He set the baseline for rookies and veterans alike, and from the indications being posted today on social media, they took notice.

"James defines the term, 'consummate professional,'" Patriots' coach Bill Belichick said today in a prepared statement. "His dependability, consistency, unselfishness and performance under pressure were elite. ... While soft-spoken, he brought exceptional leadership and competitive toughness to the team. He was a multi-year captain and one of the most respected (and) best team players I have ever coached."

Indeed, one of White's most shining moments of leadership came during a terrible time in his life. 

His father, a respected former police officer in Fort Lauderdale, was killed in an automobile accident early in the 2020 season, and his mother was critically injured. James grieved, as we all would. But after a brief trip home to be with his family during the crisis, he returned to the team and resumed his daily commitment to being the best player and person he could be for his teammates.

From a media standpoint, White was always accommodating to reporters that would stroll past his locker looking for insight. It wasn’t self-serving on his part, but an acceptance that accountability was part of the job. And he was respectful at all times, even when I’m sure it might not have been the easiest thing to be. I'm not certain he was ever truly comfortable in the spotlight -- sometimes when the media scrum would congregate in large numbers around his locker, his responses to question might include a brief nervous laugh -- but he took the responsibility seriously as a true professional would.

He was one of the first recipients of the “Ron Hobson Good Guy Award,” so named for the gregarious former beat writer from The Patriot Ledger of Quincy. It's annually bestowed upon players that are cooperative with the media, but as I indicated before, not in a self-serving way. We of the media see it as an important honor because we didn’t honor “gabbers" -- players that loved the sound of their own voice but rarely made plays worth remembering. White, like past recipients Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater, was a player that backed up any and all of his words with non-stop effort and a level of dignity that served as inspiration to everyone in that locker room. 

As I learned of White's decision to retire earlier today, I was reminded of the predictive comments made by his aunt in her phone call to me in 2014.

"He’s easy-going, truly focused on football and willing to do whatever he can to excel, and to be a good team player," Mrs. McNeil said. "And if he's called upon to be a leader, he has the fortitude and ability to lead."

Mission accomplished.

It was a pleasure and a privilege to cover James White's career for as long as I did, and I wish him and his entire family all the best going forward.