Atlanta Falcons

Roddy White: I probably ‘would’ve fought’ Kyle Shanahan after Falcons’ Super Bowl loss

Published Feb. 16, 2017 7:44 p.m. ET

Nunzio Ingrassia

Roddy White is still very passionate about the Atlanta Falcons after spending all 11 years of his NFL career with the franchise before retiring in 2015. So it’s understandable that the former Pro Bowl wideout took the Falcons’ overtime loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI pretty hard, even though he didn’t play a down last season.

White wasn’t upset so much about the team’s performance but rather the play-calling –- specifically on the offensive side. He took aim at former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan during the “We Never Played the Game” podcast Tuesday.

“I’m glad I wasn’t a part of that team because I probably literally would’ve fought him,” White said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

White believes Shanahan, who left the Falcons to become the 49ers head coach earlier this month, did not play it safe when the Falcons blew a 25-point lead in the second half as Atlanta allowed 31 unanswered points to New England in the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.

“You destroyed a dream for a city,” said White, who finished with 808 catches for 10,863 yards and 63 TDs during his career. “It’s bigger than me. The city of Atlanta needed that championship and you had it. Arthur Blank needed that championship and he deserved to win that game, with everything he’s been through. It was finally our time to win and it just hurt me that we didn’t get it done.”