Longtime Agent Of Payton Threatens Legal Action Over New Book
(CBS) The backlash from Jeff Pearlman's soon-to-be published book entitled "Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton," continued after Payton's longtime agent, Bud Holmes, threatened legal action against Pearlman.
In an interview with TMZ, Holmes, who is quoted in Pearlman's book as saying "Walter was pounding his body with medication," said he was misquoted and his quotes were taken out of context by Pearlman.
"[Payton] was not hooked on drugs," Homes said. " He wasn't an addict. He didn't abuse drugs or use illegal drugs."
The book claims Payton was supplied pills and liquids by the Bears when he was a player and that he continued to use vicodin and nitrous oxide after he retired.
Holmes insists he never meant to imply that Payton abused pain medication and was simply talking about pills that "were only used to alleviate the aches and pains he got from playing the game we watch on Sundays."
Holmes also said he never knew Payton to use nitrous oxide, Vicodin or Ritalin, as the book claims. Holmes will seek legal action if, when he reads the full book, he feels he was misquoted.
