THIS IS EPISODE 55 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
Jarrett Payton is the son of legendary NFL running back Walter Payton. In July of 1993, when he was 12 years old, Jarrett introduced his father Walter into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Playing football at the University of Miami, Jarrett played on a National Championship winning team in 2001, rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2003 and was the 2004 Orange Bowl MVP.
Jarrett played in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans in the NFL as well as the CFL and the Indoor Football League. He retired from Pro Football in 2012.
Currently, Jarrett is a sports broadcaster in Chicago for WGN and CLTV. He’s a husband and father, and does work for both the Walter Payton Foundation, as well as his own foundation, the Jarrett Payton Foundation.
On this episode of the podcast, Jarrett shares what it was like growing up with an NFL legend of a Dad, how faith played a role in his life as a child, giving a Hall of Fame introduction in front of millions of people, and how Emmitt Smith became a father figure to him after his Dad’s death.
TIMELINE:
3:45 – Life right now for Jarrett Payton
9:15 – How much he remembers of his Dad playing in the NFL
11:15 – Church as a part of his routine growing up
14:45 – Balancing faith and family
16:40 – Introducing his Dad as a 12-year-old at the Hall of Fame in 1993
22:15 – Becoming a football player in high school
29:45 – Dealing with his Dad’s death in 1999
39:05 – Biggest lesson he’s learned in being a Dad to his own children
41:45 – Starting his own foundation and working with his Dad’s foundation.
45:50 – What God is teaching him right now?
QUOTES:
“I’m not perfect by any means. There’s going to be days I mess up. God keeps telling me on a daily basis to keep working hard. Just to know that He is always there.”
“Sometimes we feel like we’re lost and we don’t know where to turn, but if you truly have a relationship with Jesus himself, you can have a better understanding of what is happening and the purpose in your life.”
“We have to have a better understanding that there is a higher power.”
“God truly has all the answers.”
“When my Dad came home from football, he didn’t talk about football. He didn’t watch football.”
“It was a transformation to see him get back into the Word and have a better understanding, a peace at who he was.”
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