It digs deep into Payton's private life, and the stuff Pearlman reveals is not pretty. For a summary, I'll let the Chicago Sun-Times explain:. He popped painkillers like candy and covered his body with a topical gel used on horses when he played professional football. When Walter Payton retired, he took even more painkillers. He kept a mistress for years and had other extramarital affairs, even while he publicly maintained he was happily married to his longtime wife, Connie.
At his Hall of Fame induction — which should have been a highlight in his life — his wife sat in the front row. And his flight attendant girlfriend sat in the second. His longtime assistant was in charge of keeping them apart. Payton was miserable. His whole image is based around decency. You will ruin him. Pearlman said he wanted to write a book about "someone decent; about someone caring" following his Roger Clemens biography.
There was so much beneath the surface with this man. But that was also a problem. Because for all of his depth, Payton spent his life as a lockbox. He trusted very few people, and confided in -- at most -- three or four.
The image out there when he played is the same one out there today: Classy guy, perfect in all areas, the ultimate role model, great running back and the ultimate prankster.
And while that is, in many ways, sort of true, it's also a cheap, easy and unfair portrait. Asked if he worried about facing a backlash for tarnishing the image of a deceased man, Pearlman said, "I sure do. It hurts me that this will hurt his kids.
It really does because Jarrett and Brittney are wonderful, engaging, fun, caring people and they're really uplifting figures in the Chicago landscape That said, I set out to write a definitive biography -- period. When people would ask, 'Well, is this going to be positive?
On a day of upsets, the Ravens and Cardinals found notable ways to win. Payton's motto was "Never Die Easy", which is also the title of his posthumously published autobiography. Payton attributed this motto to Bob Hill, his coach at Jackson State. In practice, this meant that Payton refused to deliberately run out-of-bounds and always delivered some punishment to his tacklers before being forced off the field or forced down. One of Payton's signature maneuvers was the "stutter-step", a high-stepping, irregularly paced run.
He developed this as a way to distract his pursuers during long runs, saying that it startled them into thinking and gave him some advantage over players who were actually faster runners. He re-invented the practice of stiff-arming his tacklers, which had gone out of favor among running backs in the s.
He referred to this procedure as an 11,yard checkup. After scoring touchdowns, Payton declined to celebrate; instead, he would often hand the ball to his teammates or the official. He disapproved of the growing practice of touchdown celebrations; he preferred post-game antics such as rushing into the locker room and locking his teammates out in the cold while taking a long shower. Payton married Connie Norwood in During his rookie years he resided in a home on the north side of Arlington Heights, Illinois.
The couple had two children, Jarrett Payton born and Brittney born December 26, [26] and resided in South Barrington, Illinois. Louis, Missouri , and Payton expressed his interest in becoming the first minority owner in NFL history. Louis, their efforts were thwarted because of internal dissension among the investment group members [2] leading the NFL to award franchises to investment groups in Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville Jaguars and Charlotte, North Carolina Carolina Panthers.
He also drove in several Trans-Am Series events, including a race at Road America in which his car overturned and caught fire. He suffered burns but escaped serious injury. The property became known as " Walter Payton's Roundhouse ", hosting a restaurant , brewery, banquet and meeting facility, and museum. In the property received an award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
In February , Payton announced that he had a rare autoimmune liver disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis , which may have led to his cholangiocarcinoma bile duct cancer. On November 1, , Payton died from the complications that arose from his illness.
He was 45 years old. During the same week, the NFL held special ceremonies in each game to commemorate his career and legacy. In addition, the Chicago Bears wore special 34 patches on their jerseys to honor Payton. Daley ; former teammates Matt Suhey , Mike Singletary , Roland Harper , and Jim McMahon ; the Bears' equipment manager and building superintendent; and many other people representing a wide social, political, and economic spectrum.
Payton's legacy continues through the charitable Walter and Connie Payton Foundation. His own appeals—and after his death, his foundation's—for greater awareness of the need for organ donations are widely credited with bringing national attention to the problem. Many modern NFL running backs have cited Payton as a source of inspiration. During his tenure at the University of Miami , Jarrett wore a 34 jersey to honor his father's memory. In , the city created a special city sticker that featured Payton.
The profits from the sales of these stickers along with the special license plate created by the State of Illinois are given to support organ-donor programs across Illinois. In September , the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center opened the Walter Payton Liver Center after a generous donation from Payton's family, who were pleased with the care he received there.
Until its sale to Two Brothers Brewing in , Walter Payton's Roundhouse continued to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to the Aurora, Illinois site.
There are two athletic awards named after Payton. The Chicago Bears honored Payton's career and life on November 1, by airing a special tribute video during halftime. The video consisted of highlight clips from Payton's career and interview segments from Mike Ditka , Virginia McCaskey , Richard Dent , and many other members of the Bears organization.
Payton's wife, daughter, son, and mother were present to watch the video, which aired on Soldier Field 's Jumbotron. Payton did his morning run at the hill everyday. Pictures and memorabilia of Payton cover the walls of the golf course club house. He also held the single game rushing record until the NFL season , when it was broken by Corey Dillon.
Payton led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns in the NFL season. Payton's brain wasn't studied but she believes after 13 years in the league and missing only one game it is possible he could have been suffering from a brain disorder because of his erratic behavior. Local News. Weather Traffic Local News U. Station Info. Follow Us:. ABC7 Exclusive: Payton's widow talks about alleged infidelity, drug use wls.
Payton's widow says he did discuss taking his own life with her. Connie is in the process of writing her own memoir.
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