Biggs: LenDale White in contract year without an agent

LenDale White made all the right moves in the offseason and said they were for all the right reasons.

He maintains he was motivated by a costly fumble in Tennessee’s playoff loss to Baltimore, and figured he would be a better running back with just as much power slimmed down. His Patron diet—or diet without Patron—helped him show up for training camp at a svelte 228 pounds, down from the 265 he weighed last season when he rushed for 773 yards and 15 touchdowns as the Smash in the Titans’ Smash & Dash running attack.

APLenDale White

“I still haven’t seen the article out there that said LenDale gave up the booze for a career, for his career to be longer," White told Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “All I’ve seen is the Patron diet, stopped his tequila drinking.

“I don’t like drinking. (It adds) extra weight. It turns me into a different person. You don’t really see all the effects until you stop, and you stop for a while. I like the LenDale that doesn’t drink, and hopefully we can keep it that way.’’

White knew he gearing up for a contract season, but what he might not know is he is working without an agent.

Christopher Brantley is listed as White’s representative but according to the NFLPA on Tuesday, Brantley has not been certified “for quite some time.’’ That means White is a free agent when it comes to needing an agent in his dash for cash. Of course, he’s going to need to play more for the 0-3 Titans to maximize his market value, and if there isn’t an extension of the CBA, the Titans will be able to tender him as a restricted free agent after the season.

White looked to be heading in the right direction. He ran for 1,110 yards and seven touchdowns in 2007, and maintained a large role in the offense after Tennessee added Chris Johnson last season. The slimmed down White hasn’t gotten much work, although the Titans haven’t had second-half leads to grind out in their surprising start. He had eight carries vs. Pittsburgh, six against Houston and seven in Sunday’s loss at the Jets. Those 21 times have produced 80 yards and one touchdown.

Originally represented by Eugene Parker of Maximum Sports Management when he was a second-round pick out of USC in 2006, White switched to Brantley at some point well after his rookie contract was completed. Brantley is listed as the vice president of marketing on the Web site for ASM Sports, a company that deals almost exclusively with NBA clients. Brantley did not answer a phone call seeking comment.

White likely migrated to ASM because his cousin is Chauncey Billups, who is also represented by the firm. The NFLPA said that Brantley has not had an SRA with any other NFL players, but would not say why he is no longer certified. No other ASM executives from the company’s Web site are listed as certified NFL agents. This means there will soon be a parade of agents in Nashville looking to pitch their services to White. It cannot be tampering if White does not have an agent, according to the NFLPA. So the competition is free to wine and dine White.

Just leave the Patron on the shelf.

Follow me on Twitter: BradBiggs

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