ESPN to produce '30 for 30' documentary on Reggie White, 'The Minister of Defense'

Reggie White, whose free-agent signing in 1993 was a pivotal move in the Green Bay Packers' return to greatness, will get ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary treatment.

The sports network said production is under way for "The Minister of Defense," a look at "the complex and sometimes controversial life of Reggie White, one of the greatest and most faith-driven players in NFL history. 'The Minister of Defense' is a portrait of a man who constantly strived to 'do right' but found that sometimes there is no easy answer as to what 'right' means."

ESPN said White's story will be told in part through never-before-seen footage from a 2004 interview filmed two months before his death.

White was a game-changing free agent signed by Packers General Manager Ron Wolf. He made it acceptable for good players, especially Black players, to come to Green Bay.

“Before that decision guys would say, ‘If Green Bay drafts me, I don’t want to go.’ It was Siberia,” Packers tight end Keith Jackson told Sports Illustrated. “But Reggie White saw something different about it. … Reggie saw all these positives about Green Bay that nobody really knew about. He saw it as an opportunity to go somewhere where the people are super fans. And when you lose a game, there’s nobody screaming at you saying you’re a bum. The media is reporting the facts and not trying to create a controversy. It was actually an oasis to play football, and you really concentrated on being a football player.”

White could dominate any game he was in, as he did with a record three sacks at the end of Super Bowl XXXI. A famous example of his strength was when he threw Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter at quarterback Warren Moon for a sack. A highlight film shows quarterbacks going down one after another as they fall into White's grip.

Bob Harlan wrote in his memoir, "Green and Gold Moments," that White was the most attractive free agent in the history of the league at the time. White, who was 6'5" and 300 pounds, built his reputation during two years with the Memphis Showboats of the USFL and eight with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he recorded 124 quarterback sacks.

Brett Favre called him the best player he ever played with or against.

"Reggie told me later that he had absolutely no interest in Green Bay when he first heard from us," Harlan wrote. He said Wolf kept at him and eventually White decided to visit as a courtesy.

"Ron told Reggie he could go anyplace and be a hero, but if he came to Green Bay he would be a legend. And that's exactly what he became" Harlan said. "He became the team leader the moment he walked into that locker room."

White played six seasons of his 15-year career in Green Bay, where he recorded 68.5 of his career 198 sacks. He played in Super Bowls XXXI and XXXII and was the player who lateralled the ball to LeRoy Butler when Butler made the first-ever Lambeau Leap.

More: 50 in 50: Reggie White signs free-agent deal with the Green Bay Packers

But there was more to White than football.

When in Green Bay, White and his wife, Sara, founded The Urban Hope Entrepreneurial Center, which helped boost hundreds of start-up businesses with grants and training.

He was an evangelical minister and was never shy about talking about his faith. His comments would sometimes be controversial, and after retirement his stance on gays and lesbians cost him an opportunity to be part of CBS's The NFL Today program.

White made a speech to the Wisconsin state legislature in 1998 during which he made remarks about race relations and homosexuality that were not well received. He called homosexuality a sin and said it was a decision, and that the treatment of gays and lesbians should not be compared to the experiences of Blacks, among other things. He later apologized and attempted to clarify his remarks.

White was an associate pastor of Inner City Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, which burned down in 1996 as a result of arson. Helped by his association, people donated $250,000 to rebuild it, although it never was.

The award-winning documentary series first aired in 2009 and produced more than 140 episodes. White is the only member of the Packers to be featured.

Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: ESPN to produce '30 for 30' documentary on Packers' Reggie White