Jarrett Payton: 'No grudges' against 'Sweetness' author

The son of former Chicago Bears great Walter Payton expressed his appreciation to the NFL Network for their upcoming documentary on his father, despite author Jeff Pearlman’s presence in the hour-long piece.

In Pearlman’s book, "Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton," Pearlman reported that the elder Payton abused drugs and had extramarital affairs.

"I hope people see the documentary for what it is, and I think it’s a great piece," Jarrett Payton told the Tribune. "Pearlman’s in it, so I don’t want people to discredit it and not look at it because he’s in it. I want them to really see if for what it is and just watch it."

The documentary airs at 9 p.m. (Chicago time) Thursday.

Payton admitted it has been a difficult last few weeks ever since the revelations in Pearlman’s book. His father passed away at age 45 after a bout with a rare form of cancer.

"But I don’t hold grudges against anybody, and I’m speaking from my heart," Payton said. "Everybody has a job, to write or do whatever they do to the best of their ability. We all have to feed our families. So I understand that. It’s just hard for me to be 30 years old now and to have your life in a book or in the paper. Some of the stuff was true. Some of it wasn't.

"It’s hard because someone passed away and is not here to defend himself. But my family and I have gotten so much stronger through everything. We have to really thank the Bears fans here in Chicago because we’ve gotten so much love."

Payton previewed the documentary and is interviewed in the piece along with his mother, Connie, and sister, Brittany. Former Bears coach Mike Ditka also appears.

"I don’t think my dad knew how much he was loved until he got sick," Payton said. "I hear stories about my dad every single day. But it takes something like this to see how much he really truly affects people. They truly, truly loved him.

"With every bad, there’s some good. We’ve gotten stronger.  As long as my family’s OK, I’m fine. A lot of what’s going on in the last few weeks has just made me reflect on my life and my relationship with my dad. He was my best friend. He really was. He was the best dad in the world because he taught me everything. He taught me to be the person that I am. I’ll take being the person that I am today over any money in the world. My joy and my happiness is the most important thing. And I appreciate my dad for showing me the way.’’


(wsbt.com)

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