Tyrone White, a captain in the Miami-Dade Police Department and the father of New England Patriots’ running back James White, was killed in a car accident Sunday. James White’s mother, Lisa, was also in the car and is in critical condition.
James White was scheduled to play with the Patriots Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks but was inactive. The news was first reported by Fox Sports South Florida radio host Andy Slater.
A public information officer for the Miami-Dade Police Department could not be reached for comment, but records indicate White, 59, has been a police officer since 1984.
Miami-Dade Police Department Director Alfredo Ramirez III tweeted his condolences Sunday night.
“I’m extremely saddened after learning of the passing of MDPD Captain Tyrone White earlier today as a result of an off-duty traffic crash in Broward County. I offered his family my deepest condolences on behalf of his MDPD family. May he rest in eternal peace,” he said.
The crash occurred around 1 p.m. Sunday at the 11800 block of Griffin Road in Cooper City, according to a preliminary report from the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Upon their arrival, deputies and paramedics found two vehicles, one flipped over and the other on fire.
Lisa White and another victim not identified in the report were airlifted to a nearby hospital.
The crash is still under investigation and no other information was immediately available.
James White was born in Fort Lauderdale and attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School, where he was a standout in the talent-laden football program under legendary coach George Smith. He went on to play college football at the University of Wisconsin. The Patriots selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 draft and he has won three Super Bowls while on the team, catching a Super Bowl-record 14 passes against the Atlanta Falcons in the 2017 title game. He is one of 30 Aquinas grads to have been drafted into the NFL.
Tyrone White played college football at Florida A&M University and became the school newspaper’s sports editor, according to a 2019 ESPN profile of James White.
While at St. Thomas, White’s family took in a friend of James’, Giovani Bernard, after Bernard lost his mom to cancer and his father, a Haitian immigrant, experienced economic hardship. The Whites let Bernard live with them for the last year and a half of his high school career, according to ESPN. Bernard, also a running back, ended up getting drafted the year before White did, 2013, by the Bengals, with whom he still plays.
News of White’s father’s passing and mother’s injury added to an already tough week for the Patriots. Head coach Bill Belichick’s mother passed away last Monday.
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