White was a man of many layers

In 1996, a few months after arsonists burned down his church in Tennessee, I decided to write a profile on Reggie White. I wanted to explore the private side of White, by then the most dominant defensive player in the NFL. Four months later, after watching him film a faith-based movie in the woods of Oregon and cry while standing amid the ruins of his church, I had come to realize White was both one of the most complex and ardently emotional athletes I had ever interviewed.

White, who died the day after Christmas, had one of those larger-than-life personalities that engulfed a room and automatically made him the center of attention. He was funny and wise and never hesitant to fervently address any number of touchy issues. It always was both entertaining and informative to be in his company.

But it was during that summer of 1996 that I was able to peel away some of White's personal layers. At one point, we sat in his home office and he launched a 30-minute monologue that covered everything from his extreme views on what he felt were the social ills of this country to his belief that he was being targeted for assassination to his conviction he was on Earth to become a modern-day Moses for his people. A year later, when he lectured the Wisconsin legislature about his take on homosexuality, I did not share the shock expressed by the rest of the sports world.

Amid all of his inner turmoil was mixed a quest for being recognized as a player compensated correctly for his talents. The Packers met his monetary demands, which greatly influenced his decision to sign with them as a free agent. He instantly gave the franchise credibility among black players and ended the prevalent argument of the day, which maintained Green Bay could not compete in this new free-agent era. White and Brett Favre became the two most influential voices in the locker room, and their leadership was a key ingredient in the Packers' growth into a Super Bowl team.

Reggie was a star. He knew it; you knew it. It was as simple as that and much more complicated than that. But, more than anything else, he meant no harm, wanted to cause no harm, just wanted a better world around him.

COPYRIGHT 2005 Sporting News Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning