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Former Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White at the StubHub Center on November 19, 2017.
The Buffalo Bills suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos in the NFL divisional round, then got more bad news on Saturday.
The NFL announced that cornerback Tre’Davious White was hit with extra punishment for a late-game meltdown toward officials. White grew angry after a pair of defensive pass interference penalties set up the Broncos for the game-winning kick, sending them to a 33-30 overtime win and a trip to the AFC Championship game.
White was hit with a fine of $14,222 for removing his helmet.
NFL Announces Punishment for Tre’Davious White
The NFL reviews games each week and issues fines for illegal hits, unsportsmanlike conduct, and abuse toward officials. The league specifically forbids “verbal or non-physical offense against official,” which carries one of the highest fines — $32,547.
White returned to the Bills in 2025 after spending last season with the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens. The Bills parted ways with him in the 2024 offseason, part of a series of cap-cutting moves.
Before the playoffs started, White said he felt grateful to be playing after suffering two major injuries near the end of his time with the Bills.
“Football means a lot, but it’s not the end-all and be-all. Good game, bad game, my people still gonna love me,” White said before the team’s opening-round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I feel I’ve got so much life to give other than what I can do on the football field. And that freed me up,” he added. “I just think this game has given me that perspective on life. And I wouldn’t have got it nowhere else if I wouldn’t have went through those dark times.”
Late Calls Against Bills Sparked Controversy
White’s fine came from an uncharacteristic outburst from the normally even-keeled player. He shouted at a referee after being flagged for pass interference in overtime, then threw his helmet to the ground in frustration.
Bills nickel cornerback Taron Johnson had also been flagged for pass interference earlier in the drive, pushing the Broncos closer to field-goal range.
Many Bills fans expressed frustration that White and Johnson were both flagged, but an apparent hold on Bills receiver Brandin Cooks near the end of regulation did not draw a flag. If it had been called, it would have set the Bills up on the 1-yard line in the closing seconds, giving them a chance for a go-ahead touchdown rather than the 50-yard field goal they kicked to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Cooks was also upset at an overtime interception, one where he came down with the ball before being stripped by Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian. In an appearance on “Good Morning Football,” Cooks said he believes he had possession and was down by contact, which would have set the Bills up for a game-winning field goal.
“At the end of the day, it was a catch, not just what it looked like, but what it felt like,” Cooks said on. “When you look back at it, the time that was spent on it to review it wasn’t enough. Given the magnitude of that game and the situation, it’s a little disappointing.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
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