Bills CB Tre'Davious White says he's found peace and new perspective on life in return to Buffalo

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Tre'Davious White arrived in Buffalo in 2017 driven to be the best and began entertaining visions of one day wearing a Hall of Fame gold jacket before two debilitating injuries stopped the cornerback's rising trajectory.

It took time, bouts with depression and spending a year away from Buffalo for White to find peace and discover what matters most in life upon rejoining the Bills this season.

"Football means a lot, but it's not the end-all and be-all. Good game, bad game, my people still gonna love me,'' White told The Associated Press as Buffalo (12-5) prepares to open the playoffs at Jacksonville (13-4) on Sunday.

''I feel I've got so much life to give other than what I can do on the football field. And that freed me up,'' he added. ''I just think this game has given me that perspective on life. And I wouldn't have got it nowhere else if I wouldn't have went through those dark times."

The limits of White's resolve were tested after he tore a left knee ligament in 2021 and then his right Achilles tendon in 2023. There were days during his recovery when members of the Bills training staff had to visit his home to coax the player out from his basement.

White's new-found perspective has been reflected nearly every day this season in how he greets everyone with a beaming smile and happily skips each time he takes the field. This wasn't always the case in 2022 and '23, when White turned inward by declining interview requests to the point he faced potential NFL fines for not following the league's media policy.

''I didn't have much to cheer or be upbeat about,'' White said, reflecting back. ''But I've learned over time that I can't let the game dictate my attitude toward life. ... Because at the end of the day, when I stop playing, nobody is gonna care how many tackles I had.''

"Ain't no way,'' he said, with a laugh upon accepting the plaque. ''My teammates have to be as mean as (stuff) if you all are giving me this award.''

White, who turns 31 next week, has made a bigger impact on the Bills with his play, willingness to share his wisdom and upbeat demeanor.

''He brings so much joy, so much positivity, so much energy. It means so much to have him back,'' cornerback Christian Benford said. ''I'm so proud and thankful God has uplifted his spirit, his mind to allow him to bounce back and fight through a lot of this.''

Sean McDermott grows emotional nearly each time he speaks of the player from Shreveport, Louisiana, who starred at LSU before becoming Buffalo's first draft pick upon the coach's arrival.

''I can't say enough good things about Tre' and what he means to me, personally, and what he's meant to our football team,'' McDermott said. ''I just believe in my heart that there's something deeper behind all of it with Tre' because I know what this place means to him.''

''When I go to sleep at night and when I envision myself making plays, it's always in red, white and blue,'' White said, referring to the Bills' colors.

''This is where I want to be. This is where I'm supposed to be. This is home,'' he added. ''When I take my last snap as a football player, I want it to be in red, white and blue and No. 27, rightfully so. Hopefully.''

However uncertain his future is beyond the playoffs, White gained closure in a season during which he reestablished himself with 16 starts and an interception. The production might pale from the days White was regarded as one of the NFL's top shutdown cornerbacks and earned first- and second-team All-Pro honors in 2019 and '20.

But what are numbers to White, who wondered why it takes someone having to reach their lowest point to find themselves.

''We shouldn't let extreme circumstances turn us into a person that's going to help others or see life this way now because this happened to me,'' White said. ''No, let's see life for what it is right now, and not wait until bad things happen.''

''I'm so happy that I was able to go through what I went through, to get that callus and come out the man that I am now,'' White said. ''I feel like maybe as a player, it may not have been what I wanted. But as a person, I'm better going forward.''

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