Bears Blitz

Walter Payton: New Book Must Be Read Before Passing Judgement

Published by Eric Bowman on September 30, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

There’s a new book about to hit stores that details troubling secrets about Walter Payton, but that doesn’t mean fans of the late running back should turn their nose up.

Jim Pearlman spent over two years working on Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton.

He interviewed nearly 700 people for this book, and after Sports Illustrated let out an excerpt he has received negative feedback for sharing all the disturbing stories about one of the most beloved NFL players ever.

Pearlman was on “The Dan Patrick Show” Friday morning, and he had much to say about people’s preconceived notions on his book.

“I put so much into this book, and it is not a ‘Let’s slam Walter Payton’, it’s a definitive biography of his life, and it’s kind of been reduced quickly without anyone having read the book.

“When you decide to write a definitive biography of someone’s life, that means you’re taking everything—the good and the bad.”

He’s exactly right, and that is why it is ridiculous for him to be getting hate e-mails about the book.

The author set out to tell the truth, just like what you’re supposed to do. Too many people think Pearlman hates Payton because of this, but in reality that isn’t the case at all.

“I love Walter Payton,” Pearlman told Patrick. “I love his life more now that I actually understand him.”

And shouldn’t the same be said for everyone? Sure, Pearlman has the inside scoop because of the time he invested into this book, but read the book and you’ll know more about Payton then you could have ever imagined.

Yes, this book does talk about how Payton was addicted to painkillers during his playing days, had trouble with his marriage and even had thoughts of suicide. However, it also shares the great things Payton did.

He was an easygoing guy that just loved to make people happy. Part of that is the reason people are upset about this book, but be real with yourself because we all know that nobody is perfect.

“The truth of the matter is after he was done playing he was physically battered, he felt very much alone, his marriage was in shambles, he was depressed and sad,” Pearlman told Patrick.

“Would that have been the part I wanted excerpted at the beginning? Probably not, but it was a true part of his life.”

Payton had flaws just like everyone else, so don’t hate on the man just passing along information.

During the interview with Patrick, Pearlman told him what he believes people will get from this book:

“When people read the full book, 460 pages and not five from Sports Illustrated, I think they’ll consider it a very detailed, all encompassing and a very fair look at his life.”

If you were a fan of Payton, then it’s understandable why you might not want to read about all the bad parts of his life.

However, it would be wise to do so that way you can truly know who this man was.

Life is hard, and people struggle with it everyday. Just because he was one of the best running backs in NFL history doesn’t mean that nothing troubled him as a man.

Athletes are people, and too often we as fans value them as more than what they really are. They’re human beings just like you and me, but sometimes we forget that.

Don’t bash the book before reading it because that’s just childish. Give it a chance, and who knows, you may love Payton more, even though you thought you might hate him because of it. Then again, you may despise it, but at least then you’ll have the right to bash it.