Walter Payton Book Tackles Drug Abuse, Depression

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — According to a new book, Chicago Bears star Walter Payton abused painkillers in retirement and became suicidal.

In "Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton," author Jeff Pearlman says the Hall of Fame running back used a cocktail of Tylenol and Vicodin in retirement, kept tanks of nitrous oxide in his garage and even obtained Ritalin from a friend whose son was prescribed pills. Pearlman writes that Payton drew the suspicion of pharmacists and a warning from the police after visiting several drugstores to have a dentist's prescription for morphine filled.

Payton's longtime agent, Bud Holmes, is quoted as saying "Walter was pounding his body with medication."

The book goes on sale Oct. 4. An excerpt appears in this week's Sports Illustrated.

Holmes and Payton's executive assistant, Ginny Quirk, recall receiving suicidal calls at all hours during the mid-1990s, and Pearlman reports Payton was living apart from his wife Connie and having extramarital affairs after retirement. That created an awkward situation at his 1993 Hall of Fame induction, with Connie and his mistress attending.

Quirk is quoted as saying it was her job to keep them apart.

"The introduction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is supposed to be the greatest moment in his life," Quirk says. "And in truth, it was probably the worst.. Four full days, and Lita and Connie were like two ships passing in the night. If Connie was scheduled to come late, I'd make sure Lita was there early. If Connie was there early, Lita would be there late. I can't describe the horror of that trip."

Payton spent all 13 seasons with the Bears and retired as the NFL's all-time leading rusher after the 1987 season. He died from a rare liver disease and bile duct cancer in 1999.

In a statement, the Bears said Payton's "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," the organization said. "Nothing will change our feelings for a man we have the deepest respect for and miss having around Halas Hall to this day."

Comments

[WhoIsNoOne]

08:15 PM on 10/01/2011

Walter Payton is one of my all time favorite athletes. I don’t think this
book diminishes his life or accomplishments at all. It just points out
that our heroes are also human.
Football players' bodies take an especially heavy beating, that as they
get older gets harder to deal with. It is never surprising to me when I
hear of ex-players getting hooked on pain killers. This does not make
him any less of a great player, and person.
Life is all shades of grey

[jayquintana]

04:22 PM on 10/01/2011

Before people attack the book, they should at least learn a bit about it. A good place to start is Jeff Pearlman's interview on the Dan Patrick radio show.

If you're gonna write about someone, write a biography -- not a hagiography.

[littlebrowngirl]

09:25 PM on 09/30/2011

It is perhaps one of the most disgraceful things to say such things about someone who is no longer on earth to defend themselves. If you were not brave enough to say it while he was alive, don't bother to say it now.

[Kathy Levittown]

10:09 PM on 09/30/2011

I love your posts lilllebrowngirl...this is a good one...;)

[sunnyk32]

05:08 PM on 10/02/2011

I totally agree with you...One would have to question the fact that this book has come out now...It just sounds like someone trying to make money, knowing that there is certain segment of people that will buy it.

In my opinion, this writer and these two individuals (whom Walter Payton may have had close relationships with), could NEVER write or say anything that would diminish his accomplishments on the field or have me question his character, Walter Payton will always be a Class Act in my eyes!!

[tqcobb]

02:24 PM on 09/30/2011

proves that even the greatest are human

[Dan Slander]

02:14 PM on 09/30/2011

He was the greatest NFL running back in history and after this still is. Watch the battering he took in his career and you can readily see why he was self medicating. No one can be the complete role model but Payton in many ways was and remains one including me.

[Bude]

10:40 AM on 09/30/2011

I will never think less of Walter.

There are some intelligent comments here, unlike Ditka's mindless babble. Apparently, he's gonna beat-up the author.

[thisisntme]

09:11 AM on 09/30/2011

What is the point of the author writing this book? Do we really need to know everything about a person's life? I swear, folks and their drive for money and fame.

[Bude]

10:41 AM on 09/30/2011

Yes, we do. Biography of successful people is common.

[butchcliff]

05:24 AM on 09/30/2011

Sweetness was the best. Still my favorite player and running back ever. Wonderful man as well.

[AngryHarpy]

02:28 AM on 09/30/2011

Growing up in the Chicago suburbs and being 11 when the Bears won the Super Bowl, I've always loved Walter. If anything, I hope this book can bring awareness to his character as a pro-athlete. We all have trials and temptations but we should be measured on our accomplishments in life.

The strongest memory of Walter I have is him scoring a touchdown and handing the ball to a man in a wheelchair who was in the endzone. That will always stick with me. His personal life should remain private -- But such is the life of a famous person; he'll be prodded and scrutinized.

He should, and will, be remembered as a phenomenal athlete who died too early.

[RedDogBear]

10:14 AM on 09/30/2011

That superbowl team was IMO one of the coolest teams of all time in sports history. It wasn't just that they were fantastically good (although they were) its that they weren't your standard bunch of overpaid self indulgent athletic celebrities. They were Grabowskis and Junk Yard dogs, down to earth guys who really reflected the spirit of Chicago.

And it was so amazingly satisfying, for Bear fans like me who spent year after year supporting a team that had no chance but loving them anyway, to have a great team like those guys for once.

[Jguig]

09:58 PM on 09/29/2011

Best player ever!

[FLDeziner]

09:24 PM on 09/29/2011

This additional info about Walter changes him from 2 dimensional to a 3 dimensional person. It does nothing to take away from his great accomplishments on & off the field.

If revelations in this book cause parents to think twice before they push their boys into Pee Wee Football, I think that will be another great thing that Walter, after his death, accomplished.

If the allegations about his abuse of drugs are true, it's not difficult to imagine that the drugs & his depression are linked. I read reports today that sports writers witnessed his use of amyl nitrate after taking a hard hit during a game. Why did it take 12 years to report this action? Is amyl nitrate still standard procedure by NFL trainers? That must stop. I think if this book helps to pull back the cover on player brain & body injuries in the NFL, that will be a good thing in the long run. .

[sjcarl]

08:28 PM on 09/29/2011

Sad. It probably led to his liver disease.

[Bude]

10:43 AM on 09/30/2011

The depression?

[RedDogBear]

12:52 PM on 09/30/2011

I think sjcarl is referring to long term use of tylenol and Vicodin. Both are bad for your liver.

[sjcarl]

07:21 PM on 09/30/2011

No, the drugs. Tylenol can easily ruin your liver, especially if combined with any alcohol.

[OooZzzzz]

07:26 PM on 09/29/2011

Professional football players have a career span of at least 15 - 20 years when you consider pee wee, Pop Warner, high school, college and the pros.

Injuries, aches, pains, broken bones, pulled muscles, concussions, knees, sprains, stress, back, ribs etc...contantly living in pain for a lifetime while living in the glaring spotlight...and Walter Payton was no different with his issues, both personal and professional than any other pro football player during his time and player's today.

Payton's legacy?

In the words of MC Hammer "you can't touch this".. it's solid, Intact and these revelations about Payton is only for selling books but to the author's dismay this changes nothing regarding one of the greatest football players ever and all of sports media will not give you what you really want; TV exposure and the time of day nationally to tell your story. They are paying you absoluty no mind.

[JFaye]

06:28 PM on 09/29/2011

What is the character of a person who writes tall tales about anyone at a time when the man himself is not around to either defend or give credibility to such assertions? OK ... coward and opportunist. Mr. Peyton deserves better than this for all the joy and excitement he brought to countless football fans. (I actually learned to understand football while during Walter's reign.)

I certainly hope not a person buys this book who was touched in a wonderful way by "Sweetness." For those who felt a need to make a few bucks by revealing whatever (watch the hand) you obviously didn't have his back ... in life or death. Did you think about his children, his wife Connie (who has done nothing to hurt you and played her good fortunes forward). Shame on you and FTDS.

[CatfishJohn]

07:53 PM on 09/29/2011

Spot on post. Do i care about deceased Johnny Unitas' turbulent first marriage? Should anyone? NO.

[Bude]

10:43 AM on 09/30/2011

So you answered your own question?

[RedDogBear]

05:37 PM on 09/29/2011

Vicodin and Tylenol aren't exactly street drugs, I take them myself for back pain every day and I never played pro football. I'm sure getting knocked around the way he did for years takes its toll on a body.

[JFaye]

06:34 PM on 09/29/2011

Exactly... and when suburban women abuse them the reference is made to prescription drugs and not just drug abuse or addict.