Earlier Wednesday, White released a statement that detailed his refusal to join the team until a plan to address his "long-term health" was in place.
"There are often negative consequences to mental illness when not given the proper support," said White, according to a statement released through his publicist, California-based China Myers. "Often, those consequences are more severe for the surrounding people than the sufferer him/herself. I am not willing to allow those consequences to befall on myself or others close to me.
"It causes me anxiety to know that serious consequences could happen if I do not express what I deal with, or if I am not truthful enough to ask for what I need to be healthy. For me, hiding is no longer a healthy option in treating my anxiety or OCD, so I have asked for some help from the organization to ensure long-term health for myself.
"It has been determined that without a specific plan in place, the current workplace is not healthy for me. I feel that it is essential to formulate the right plan for a better chance of execution, despite other timelines or agendas. The most important agenda to me is a plan that is healthy. Therefore, a plan has been requested that will support a healthy work environment. In addition to this, it has been requested that the standard requirements for players in regards to this plan be voided because it is not a standard situation.
"It is regrettable that I cannot be currently present, but long-term health obviously should be the most important thing. I will continue to champion the cause for mental illness being met with understanding; if not, the ramifications are dangerous.
"Mental illness is a very individual-based disorder -- very unique for each person. So for those who come forward and ask for help, a very unique support plan should be the solution, given the nature of mental illness.
Wow. I can't believe he said all that. He clearly plans on missing practices too. I mean yeah he'll be frustrated by the Rockets not giving him what he wants, but the Rockets are going to be frustrated with him missing games, training camp, and practices. He says he wants to be healthy but his new work environment is unhealthy for him. The ADA requires reasonable work accommodations but it's not reasonable to expect the accommodation to be to show up as late as you need as often as you need or not at all.