What Buccaneers' Rachaad White learned from Tom Brady amid Brady's divorce

Some understandably may have assumed that Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White took somewhat of a shot at Tom Brady when White said last week that Baker Mayfield is "the best quarterback I’ve ever played with."

During a recent chat with Baker Machado of Front Office Sports, White made it known he learned plenty as a rookie while sharing a locker room with Brady during the living legend's tumultuous final season as a pro. 

"I think the biggest thing I learned from him, because obviously when I got drafted he was going through a difficult time, that is, you know, personal issues that he was going through [that] everybody knew about," White said about Brady, as shared by the JoeBucsFan website. "I think the biggest thing that I learned from him, though, is just like perseverance, man." 

The Buccaneers made White a third-round pick during the 2022 NFL Draft months before it was learned that Brady was going through a divorce from Gisele Bundchen that hovered over the Buccaneers throughout White's debut season and left Brady emotionally and physically beaten up. 

While the 2022 Buccaneers claimed the division title with a lackluster 8-9 record, it was clear before Tampa Bay suffered a 31-14 wild-card playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys in January 2023 that Brady was a shell of his former self throughout that campaign. 

According to Pro Football Reference, he finished his last regular season as an active QB1 ranked 18th in the NFL among qualified players with a 54.6 adjusted QBR and 18th with a 90.7 passer rating. He tossed 25 touchdown passes and nine interceptions over 17 games. 

"No matter what you're going through, you signed up for [work and production]. You show up on time. Every day," White added about the lessons he took from serving as Brady's teammate. "You show up and, you know, you keep working no matter what somebody feels about you or might think about you, or, you know, what they may look at you like. Just show up. You go to work to be your best self every day. And I think that’s the biggest thing I learned; perseverance."

The perception has existed for years that Brady was more a negative than a positive for the 2022 Buccaneers, in part because he allegedly was "checked out" while dealing with off-the-field matters. He may have left much to be desired with his play that season, but it appears he also managed to have a positive impact on young players such as White.