DURING TRYOUTS IN CINCINNATI, INJURED STAN WHITE JR. IS ITCHING FOR ACTION

"I think they realize I'm a smart player, a team guy and that I'm versatile," said Gilman and Ohio State graduate Stan White Jr., who has been sidelined with an ankle injury during his quest to make the roster of the NFL's Bengals. "The whole reason I signed [as a free agent] is because I think I have a good chance to make the team."

by Lem Satterfield Stan White Jr. will readily admit that his high ankle sprain is painful. But it�??s that itch that he really can�??t bare. It�??s the kind of itch that is bothersome all over �?? inside and out. It�??s the itch that every true athlete has: It's the itch to compete. And that itch is especially brutal when you�??re told that you can�??t compete. �??I�??m obviously itching to prove myself, yeah,�?� said White, a Gilman and Ohio State graduate whose injury has kept him off the practice field at Georgetown College in Kentucky, where he is attempting to make the roster of the NFL�??s Cincinnati Bengals. Reached on his cellular phone from his dorm room on the Georgetown campus, White said, �??The whole reason I signed [as a free agent] is because I think I have a good chance to make the team.�?� White, 23, was hurt �??about a week and a half ago�?� as a result of a collision with another player, he said. �??I planted my foot on the ground and I had a guy fall on top of me and my foot stayed planted on the ground.�?� �??I know that they like me as a player based mostly on a lot the college film. I was able to do all of the stuff in the spring and summer, and I was doing very well,�?� said the 6-foot-2, 255-pounder. �??I think they realize I�??m a smart player, a team guy, and that I�??m versatile, which, at the pro level, is more valuable. What I think they like and I think I show is that I can be a major contributor on special teams.�?�

Stan White, Jr.

White�??s versatility helped Gilman to win four straight MIAA A Conference titles through 2001, when, as a senior, he was named Defensive Player of The Year by The Baltimore Sun.  As a linebacker, White led the Greyhounds in tackles, tackles for lost yardage, broken up passes, fumble recoveries, caused fumbles and interceptions. And as a tightend, White was the Greyhounds�?? top receiver.

White red-shirted a year at Ohio State, where he played four seasons, primarily at fullback, before earning an undergraduate degree in finance and a master�??s in business administration. He then signed with the Bengals, whose season-opener, against Detroit on Thursday night, he missed.

�??I�??ve just been doing re-habbing excercises and icing it all of the time, and that�??s going well,�?� said White, who was �??kept in a boot for probably four days. They originally told me I�??d be out for about four and a half weeks, but I�??ve been running on it day to day, and hope to be back in a few days.�?�

White said he hopes to return as early as next week for the Bengals�?? preseason game against visiting New Orleans.

�??I feel pretty confident that  I�??ll be back by then,�?� he said.

White said �??first cuts are about two-and- half weeks away,�?� following the Bengals�?? third preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, Aug. 27.

�??To make the team, you have to be able to play, and I know that he�??s very disappointed right now that he can�??t play,�?� said Stan White Sr. �??He�??s working hard to get back.�?�