Cadillac man's long, winding road

Greg White loves Cadillacs. And we're not talking the cute little roadsters or the big Escalade SUV. We're talking the type your grandfather would opt for, complete with Vogue whitewall tires. But after White's long road to the NFL, let the man have what he wants.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER, Times Staff Writer
Published October 21, 2007

Tell us about your pride and joy.

This is my baby right here. I've done a few things to it to make it customized. I have the DVD and sound system in here. And this paint, it's not white. This is white diamond. It's a special edition color from Cadillac. At nighttime it looks yellowish. That's limited edition, baby. I wanted to put some Lamborghini doors on it, the kind that open upward. But they tell me it might not work. They break too easy.

So, why the traditional Cadillac? Most players are driving Escalades or Mercedes.

I'm a Caddy guy, that's why. I'm loyal to Caddy. I had my first one in 2002 when I first got out of school. It was a lease, and when I got let go (from Houston), I couldn't afford it anymore.

So, how did you know this was the one for you?

At the time, it was all I could afford. Last year, in the arena league, I was driving around in a (Pontiac) Grand Prix. So, when it was time for the Grand Prix to go, I went to the Cadillac dealer and told them I wasn't trying to spend a lot of money. This was a 2004, and I've got 31,000 miles on it. That's not a lot. My father made me a Cadillac man. That's just me.

Speaking of the arena league, you played for Jay Gruden in Orlando. Who is more fiery, him or his brother, Jon?

They're exactly the same. Exactly. They should be twins. They're both high energy. They both kind of talk like sailors. Is it okay if I say that? But they win, and they know talent. I'm not just saying that because I'm here, but Jay is the one who found me.

You've been on five practice squads. What was that like?

Crazy. One year, I went from Houston to Tampa, Tampa to Atlanta and Atlanta to Tennessee.

You must really love football to deal with the ups and downs.

Well, at one point in time, I quit football. I literally told my agent, "Look, I don't want to do anymore workouts, no more training camps, nothing." You get tired of hearing "no." I felt like I'd just rather work. So, my agent asked me about NFL Europe. Well, I hadn't (explored) that option, so I went over there and led the league in sacks. But I've done it all. Europe, Canada. At one point, I was getting two or three hundred dollars a week Canadian on the practice squad.

You can't live on that, can you?

Um, no. And neither could my kids. When I came back after that, I said I was done again. Then, my agent asked, "Well, what about the arena league?" I said, "Well, all right. I haven't done that, either." You know what I did? I exhausted all of my options so I could never say, "Greg, you didn't do this or that." But at that point, I felt like I was done. Then, the Bucs called me to come back to camp. At first, I told them no. Don't get me wrong. I love the game. But at some point, you just get tired of the same ol' same ol'.

This is kind of random, but do women dig guys in the arena league?

I guess so. Groupies will find you anywhere. But I must say, you have to work a little harder in the AFL. It's not like playing for the Bucs and girls say, "Oh, wow!" When I would tell women I played for the Orlando Predators, they'd say, "What's that?" You'd be surprised how many people, men and women, asked me, "So, when are you going to play professional football?" I was playing professional football, man!

Kind of hard to have an ego, huh?

Yeah. And I can tell you a real humbling story. I was in a club and met some girls, and me and my homeboy asked them if they wanted to go get something to eat and hang out. Now, I was sort of big-time in the AFL, so I was in the VIP section of the club. But, remember, I'm driving a Grand Prix. This girl walked to the car with me and said, "You drive a Grand Prix?" Oh, man. That hurt me right here (pointing to his heart). I'm thinking, it's not like she's driving around in a spaceship or something. Come on, man. It was a Grand Prix, but it was mine.

Greg White

Age: 28

Height, weight: 6-3, 270

Hometown: Newark, N.J.

College: Minnesota; had 58 tackles, five sacks and forced five fumbles as a senior in 2001 while playing strong-side linebacker.

Pro: Has had stints on five practice squads, NFL Europa and Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League; set AFL record with 15 sacks and earned defensive player of the year in 2007; led NFL Europa in sacks in 2005.

[Last modified October 20, 2007, 18:53:22]