Ex-USC star reveals he suffered near-fatal heart attack
Sep 26, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; Southern California Trojans former running back Lendale White on the sidelines against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
A former USC star running back revealed this week that he suffered a nearly fatal heart attack a few years back.
LenDale White joined the “I Am Athlete” podcast this week and told the hosts that he suffered a heart attack known as the “widow-maker” in January 2019.
"When you're 34 and you have a heart attack, that changes your life forever. I definitely workout now."
Former Titans RB LenDale White opens up about the moment that changed his life forever 🙏🏾
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“I had a heart attack. It was four years ago, like two weeks ago. So my four-year anniversary was January 20. My [left anterior descending artery] was clogged and I had to have two stints shot into my heart to where my blood can flow again,” White said. “It’s called a widow-maker because you’re really not supposed to make it back from that. And I never really knew all that until recently.”
White said that the heart attack served as a wake-up call for him to get in better physical shape.
“When you’re 34 and have a heart attack, that change your life forever. So with that being said, the physical gotta change. And I definitely work out now, and I hate working out. I gave dawgs a thousand yards and was smoking kush every day. Never worked or squatted or nothing. To just go in there and be like ‘I gotta squat now for fun?’ But when you want to save your life, yeah, I’m going to squat all day,” White admitted.
“Kush” is a slang term for marijuana, just to give you an idea of White’s training methods previously.
Despite White never previously working out, the 38-year-old still rushed for 2,349 yards and 24 touchdowns during his four-year NFL career with the Tennessee Titans from 2006-2009. From 2003-2005, White rushed for 3,159 yards and 52 touchdowns for the USC Trojans under Pete Carroll.
The good news is that despite his health issues, White is feeling well enough these days to criticize his alma mater.