Walter Payton: Suicide and Drugs?

Walter Payton is an icon in the football world. Before his death in 1999, Payton was one of the most loved football players of all-time. After his death, the love has continued to pour.

However, a new book is claiming a darker side to Walter Payton. In “Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton”, author Jeff Pearlman writes that Walter Payton talked about suicide often, abused pain medication and had a dysfunctional family life.

Bud Holmes, Walter Payton’s agent, and others are quoted in the book as being a witness to the Walter Payton suicide talk. The pain medicine he allegedly abused included vicodin, nitrous oxide and morphine. And though he was married, Walter Payton reportedly had a mistress on the side for years before his death.

Personally, I think this book is unnecessary. Walter Payton is dead. Let his legacy live on. Tearing down a defenseless man is a cowardly move.

Walter Payton - Suicide Talk and Pain Medication?