White fined for no-show at Falcons camp

By D. ORLANDO LEDBETTER

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, the 27th pick of the 2005 draft, was a no-show for the first team meeting Friday evening.

White was scheduled to report by 6:30 p.m., but he was not there, according to his agent. Players not present for the first meeting are considered “holdouts.”

A player holding out will be fined $17,000 per day, as determined by the collective bargaining agreement.

The Falcons have been in discussions with White’s representative, Jonathan Feinsod, about a contract extension. He confirmed that White wasn’t at the meeting but said “no comment” when asked to elaborate.

White’s holdout puts a damper on the opening of training camp Saturday. White held out for six days during his rookie season after being drafted out of UAB.

White’s career got off to a bumpy start. He was known more for dropping passes than catching them before developing into an 1,000-yard receiver in his third season.

Last season, White caught 88 passes for 1,382 yards and seven touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time. In 2007, he caught 83 passes for 1,202 yards and six touchdowns as the team went 4-12.

White’s play provided the spark and explosion for the passing game last season. Quarterback Matt Ryan made White the focal point of the passing attack, throwing 148 of his 434 passes (34 percent) in White’s direction.

White had 11 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown in the wild-card playoff loss to Arizona. However, he had some down moments in 2008. He dropped nine passes, including one in the end zone late in the game against Denver on Nov. 16 that could have led to a victory.

White is set to make $2.28 million in the final year of his five-year contract.

Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald averages $10 million per year as the league’s highest-paid receiver.

In his previous holdout, White missed the first six days of training camp. He signed a five-year contract worth $7.35 million (an escalator clause in the fifth year could take it over $10 million) with guaranteed bonuses totaling $4.470 million.