No. He didn't do it to Vince Young!
Clash of Titans is spit for spat
White-Nickey fight draws ire of Fisher
By JIM WYATT
Staff Writer
CLARKSVILLE — On the final day of a stay at Austin Peay intended to help forge character, the Titans experienced an ugly incident Coach Jeff Fisher hopes is out of character.
Rookie running back LenDale White spit in the face of veteran safety Donnie Nickey during the morning practice, leading to a fight involving several players.
"There's a code of ethics on the field and it was violated,'' Fisher said. "We've addressed it, it is over and it is done with.
When it gets hot and you get at the end of camp and get going, things happen. You don't want to see that. But it has all been addressed and taken care of.
"LenDale understands he crossed the line and you just don't do that. It will not happen again. I assure you, it will not happen again.''
White, one of the nation's top running backs last season at Southern California, came to the Titans as a result of some controversy.
Most NFL Draft experts believe he slid all the way to the second round, where the Titans selected him 45th overall, because of questions about his attitude as much as his injured hamstring.
Thursday's developments probably didn't endear White to his new teammates, who were instructed by Fisher not to speak to the media about the spitting incident. Coming off the field, White wasn't talking much either.
"It's competition at its finest, that's all,'' he said of the fight.
Asked whether he spit on Nickey, White shook his head and said, "No comment.''
In the middle of a crowd of teammates following afternoon practice, White denied it.
"What are you talking about?" he said. "It didn't happen.''
Nickey, a fourth-year pro, declined comment.
It began when White, who was carrying the ball, collided with Nickey. At the end of the play, Nickey immediately accused White of spitting on him. Other defensive players immediately backed him up to nearby coaches. At one point, Nickey took his helmet off and took a swing at White with it.
Minutes later, Nickey ran across the field and knocked down White, who had failed to haul in a pass near the sideline. White got up and elbowed safety Vincent Fuller. Several other defenders jumped in, including rookie cornerback Cortland Finnegan, and Nickey began throwing punches.
When the players were separated, Fisher then sounded off, loud enough that everyone could hear him. He accused Nickey of a "cheap shot" and threatened to suspend him for a month if he removed his helmet again.
White is expected to be fined by the Titans. When Fisher spoke about the incident with reporters later in the day, a fine for Nickey seemed less likely.
"There are times when the head coach doesn't know everything that happens and this is one of those examples, and I apologized to Donnie,'' Fisher said. "But there is stuff that goes on out there that shouldn't have been out there. Donnie understands. LenDale understands he crossed the line and you just don't do that.
"You don't want to see that happen, but there will be no lasting, lingering effect. It has all been addressed and taken care of.''
The Titans left Austin Peay on Thursday night and open their preseason schedule on Saturday night against the New Orleans Saints at LP Field. Training camp resumes Monday at MetroCenter.
"It's hot out, the last day out here, we're just getting after it,'' linebacker Keith Bulluck said. "We haven't had a dress rehearsal yet. Maybe that's a prelude to Saturday night, minus all the extracurriculars. Hey, it's football. Tempers are going to flare in football.''
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