The book, “Sweetness,” written by Jeff Pearlman, is highlighted in the current edition of Sports Illustrated and reports Payton was involved in several extra-marital affairs and fathered an illegitimate son. The author also cites sources who claim Payton routinely mixed a cocktail of Tylenol and Vicodin after his playing days.
“I don’t know why people would want to tarnish his image 12 years later with stuff people probably don’t want to hear,” said former Bears tight end Emery Moorehead, who was a teammate of Payton on the Super Bowl XX champions. “I read (the book excerpts) and couldn’t believe it. A lot of stuff I know to be true. But, you know, back then nobody was blaring everything out that was going on. Today, people … anything for a buck, I guess.”
Pearlman writes from his interviews that Payton’s wife, Connie � from whom he had been estranged � and a mistress both attended his Hall of Fame induction in 1993. The two women met for the first time shortly thereafter.
The Payton family released the following statement Wednesday evening:
“Walter, like all of us, wasn’t perfect. The challenges he faced were well known to those of us who loved and lived with him. He was a great father to Jarrett and Brittney and held a special place in the football world and the Chicago community. Recent disclosures � some true, some untrue � do not change this. I’m saddened that anyone would attempt to profit from these stories, many told by people with little credibility.”
According to the book, Payton’s former agent and executive assistant recall receiving calls at all hours from him threatening to end his life.
“Walter was a very complicated figure,” former Bears Pro Bowl safety Gary Fencik said. “I prefer to remember Walter as I knew him, and not by some of the stories that are going to be revealed in this book.”
Asked about the assertions made in the book and what impact they might have on the Payton family, Fencik replied:
“These are still allegations, so they are going to know more about the veracity of the comments than anyone on the team. I think Walter was a very interesting character and I don’t think he was without flaws. None of us are.”
Fans and media often are guilty of creating images of flawless heroes.
“The challenge is that you want to live up to the image for your family and your kids and anybody who looks at you as a role model,” Fencik said. “But the reality is you’re human and you have foibles.”
After he was diagnosed with the liver disease Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and incurable bile duct cancer, Payton hosted some dinners for old Bears as his way of saying goodbye.
“Jimbo (Jim Covert) said there were quite a few people there,” Moorehead said. “I was not there.
“I just thought that Walter had such a great legacy here. To tarnish it 12 years (after his death) with all of this stuff is unnecessary. We all know what kind of (good) guy he was.”
Said former teammate Steve McMichael: “Whoever writes something like that is looking for money. And they are looking for it to be as controversial as they can. But people shouldn’t believe that. Walter was one of the people for whom they made that axiom ‘the good die young.’”
The Bears issued the following statement:
“The Chicago Bears had the unique honor and privilege of having Walter Payton as a part of our organization for over two decades as both a player and board member. We believe his competitive spirit lives with us today. When we take the field each Sunday, we represent the great players like Walter who helped build the rich tradition of our organization. Nothing will change our feelings for a man we have the deepest respect for and miss having around Halas Hall to this day.”
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