Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs have had their personal lives dissected on more than one occasion. So naturally, the Chicago Bears linebackers had an opinion on the recent expose of Walter Payton’s personal experiences in Jeff Pearlman’s new book.
In "Sweetness," Pearlman reports that Payton was involved in several extra-marital affairs, fathered an illegitimate son and had suicidal thoughts.
"People trying to get attention, that’s what I think it is," Urlacher said of the book. "It’s not going to change my view on what Walter Payton was or is. I have the utmost respect for him.
"I never got a chance to meet him but from everything I’ve heard about the way he treated people, the way he was with people, I have nothing but respect for him. So whatever some jackass says in some book or whatever … I just want to know, are there any quotes from Walter in there? What about his wife? Well, I don’t put too much stock in that."
Briggs has been scrutinized for fathering children out of wedlock. Urlacher has had a messy court battle with the mother of his son.
"To think that people are without flaws is wrong," Briggs said. "(Payton) was human. He was human. You’ve got to look at yourself before you make a judgment call on somebody else.
"What Walter Payton stood for and what he will always stand for, he really is the face of the NFL. You know the type of effect that he had if you just go around this city. Almost every day, you can run into somebody who has a story about running into Walter Payton and how kind he was. He’s somebody that, as a kid and as a young football player, you want to aspire to be."
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