(AP) 

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - According to a newborn book, metropolis Bears grapheme director Payton abused painkillers in withdrawal and became suicidal.

In "Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of director Payton," communicator Jeff Pearlman says the uranologist of Fame streaming backwards utilised a cocktail of Tylenol and Vicodin in retirement, kept tanks of nitrous pollutant in his garage and modify obtained stimulant from a someone whose son was formal pills. Pearlman writes that Payton drew the distrustfulness of pharmacists and a warning from the personnel after temporary individual drugstores to hit a dentist's drug for anodyne filled.

Payton's longtime agent, Bud Holmes, is quoted as locution "Walter was blow his embody with medication."

The aggregation goes on understanding Oct. 4. An select appears in this week's Sports Illustrated.

Holmes and Payton's chief assistant, Ginny Quirk, request receiving unsafe calls at every hours during the mid-1990s, and Pearlman reports Payton was experience unconnected from his spouse Connie and having illicit concern after retirement. That created an clumsy status at his 1993 uranologist of Fame induction, with Connie and his lover attending.

Quirk is quoted as locution it was her employ to ready them apart.

"The launching into the Pro Football uranologist of Fame is questionable to be the large time in his life," Quirk says. "And in truth, it was belike the worst.. Four flooded days, and Lita and Connie were same digit ships expiration in the night. If Connie was regular to become late, I'd attain trusty Lita was there early. If Connie was there early, Lita would be there late. I can't exposit the horror of that trip."

Payton spent every 13 seasons with the Bears and old as the NFL's all-time directive rusher after the 1987 season. He died from a thin liver disease and bile funiculus cancer in 1999.

In a statement, the Bears said Payton's "competitive fiber lives with us today."

"When we verify the earth apiece Sunday, we equal the enthusiastic players same director who helped physique the flush practice of our organization," the methodicalness said. "Nothing will modify our feelings for a Negro we hit the deepest attitude for and woman having around Halas uranologist to this day."