James White received a hero’s welcome Sunday night during a visit to his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin.
The New England Patriots running back was recognized during a basketball game between Wisconsin and Maryland, with fans chanting “MVP, MVP” as he walked to center court.
Though he didn’t actually win the award, White put on an MVP-worthy performance in Super Bowl LI, catching a Super Bowl-record 14 passes and scoring three touchdowns in the Patriots’ 34-28 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons.
“It still feels kind of surreal,” White told reporters Sunday night, via Madison.com. “Almost seems like a regular game, but it wasn’t. I have to sit back and watch the game on TV like a lot of people do just to kind of get a good feel for it. But it still really hasn’t sunk in. I don’t know when it will actually hit me.”
Since Super Bowl Sunday, White has visited Disney World and made an appearance on “Conan.” Over the weekend, he had dinner with and dished out draft advice to Wisconsin running back Corey Clement, who earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior this season.
“It’s been fun. It’s been tiring, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I’ve just been enjoying it,” White told reporters. “Been all over the place … but got to find time to train, stay in shape, because most people’s offseason already started, so you have to get after it.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
