Reggie White says he has heard a divine call to revoke his retirement and return to the Green Bay Packers. But will the NFC champs be getting the Reggie White of old or an old Reggie White?
“We’re delighted he’s going to play,” General Manager Ron Wolf said. “I don’t know how else to say it.”
White admitted he hadn’t done much off-season conditioning but pledged to embark on a rigorous rehabilitation program to strengthen a bad back that reduced him to a part-time player last season.
“Yes, my back is still hurting, but I’m going to do everything that I can to make sure not only that my back is well but that I play at a high level,” White said Wednesday in Green Bay.
Coach Mike Holmgren announced White’s retirement Sunday, and as recently as Monday the 36-year-old defensive end was standing by his decision to leave football because of a bad back.
But that day, after repeating to Holmgren he wouldn’t return, White said he had a revelation while having back therapy.
“God spoke to me and said you made a promise,” said White, an ordained Baptist minister.
When he signed a five-year, $19 million contract extension in 1997, White said he planned to play at least two more seasons.
“I didn’t want to back down on that promise,” White said.
White revealed the exact nature of his ailment. He said he suffers from lower back spasms caused by the displacement of a lumbar vertebra.
“It’s something that most of us, in particular defensive linemen, have played with all of our lives,” White said.
– The Seattle Seahawks have signed Ohio State quarterback Stanley Jackson as a free agent. Coach Dennis Erickson said the team would attempt to turn him into a wide receiver.
