If the first you heard about "the situation surrounding Rachaad White" was from a six-word tweet from Ian Rapoport, you're not alone. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back released a statement via his lawyers on Tuesday that provided more questions than answers.
The statement revealed the existence of "an extortion attempt" against White while hinting at "illegal and defamatory threats and demands against Rachaad and his family."
The extortion situation is in the hands of authorities, including the FBI. Meanwhile, everyone else in the NFL was left scratching their heads, surprised to learn of a "situation" in the first place.
On the situation surrounding Rachaad White: pic.twitter.com/SqpXusMNKl
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 25, 2025
Statement from Rachaad White's lawyers on extortion attempt
Here's the full statement from White's lawyers:
“The FBI and other appropriate authorities are currently looking into an extortion attempt against Rachaad White. Illegal and defamatory threats and demands against Rachaad and his family will be met with zero tolerance. We will continue to exercise all legal avenues to protect Rachaad’s rights as a victim of extortion.”
According to Greg Auman of FOX Sports, no one is commenting further, not White, not his lawyers, not his agent, nor the FBI, who wouldn't confirm an active investigation.
Not a lot of info regarding Bucs' Rachaad White, who was targeted in an extortion attempt according to a statement from two Tampa attorneys. They're not commenting further, agent didn't respond to a message, and local FBI office cannot confirm if there's an active investigation.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) February 25, 2025
So that's it. Honestly, that's all we or anyone else seems to know.
There was some speculation on social media that this could be tied to the recent FBI investigation into a gang of burglars who targeted the homes of prominent professional athletes like Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow. An unnamed Buccaneers player was the target of one such burglary. However, there is zero evidence to suggest that situation is related to this one. No one can say with any certainty that White was even the player in question.
Outside of uninformed speculation, there seem to be no other details available.
Maybe this all would be less strange if Rapoport's delivery hadn't been so mysterious.
Who is Rachaad White?
White has played for the Bucs since 2022 when they drafted him out of Arizona State in the third round. His promising rookie season saw him start the last eight games of the season. In total, he rushed for 481 yards and a touchdown with 290 yards and two touchdowns receiving.
By 2023, he was the full-time starter in Tampa Bay. He gained 990 yards and had six rushing touchdowns that season.
The arrival of Bucky Irving in 2024 cut into White's productivity. Despite starting 15 games, White had 144 carries to Irving's 207 and 613 yards to Irving's 1,122.