11 years and a accumulation of hour had took place because the tailback and the fullback ran in combination. The used teammates didn’t socialize a lot despite the fact that each remained within the Chicago section.
Matt Suhey, the fullback, traded soybean meal futures and owned a bottled H2O corporate. He left house for the Board of Business each morning at 5:30, returned house to his folk at 6:30 within the night and didn’t have generation for far else.
Walter Payton used to be in perpetual movement — the tailback used to be at all times maximum comfy that manner. He traveled about 4 days a presen for appearances, speeches and diverse trade ventures. He held possession stakes in an car racing workforce, nightclubs, a cafe and a weighty apparatus corporate. He oversaw a charitable bottom, used to be a member of the Bears’ board of administrators, and labored diligently and passionately in pursuit of an NFL enlargement workforce in St. Louis.
However one while between Christmas in 1998 and Unused Time’s Past, Payton requested Suhey to fulfill for dinner. They exchanged hugs in a personal room at Millrose in Barrington, no longer a ways from Payton’s house, and began giggling like they did within the used days. Suhey joked about Payton’s weight reduction, more than likely alike to 50 kilos.
Payton grew to become on him.
“I’ve got a problem,” he mentioned, jutting his face towards Suhey’s.
“What do you mean?” Suhey mentioned.
Payton were recognized with number one sclerosing cholangitis, an extraordinary liver disorder. He additionally had most cancers of the bile duct, and it used to be spreading swiftly.
He wanted a untouched liver.
Two days nearest their dinner, Suhey referred to as Payton, who advised him he used to be getting to the Mayo Hospital. Suhey’s objective at the soccer grassland were to create positive Payton were given to the place he sought after to be, so the fullback advised the tailback he used to be coming with him. Payton adopted his govern.
Within the months that adopted and because the clock on Payton’s hour neared 0, they nonetheless laughed in combination. “We’re doing a new version of ‘Brian’s Song,’” Payton mentioned. “The only difference is the Black guy dies.”
“Brian’s Song” gained 4 Emmy Awards and used to be the most-watched TV film in 1971, when made-for-television motion pictures have been appointment viewing. Starring Billy Dee Williams and James Caan, it advised the tale of the odd-couple friendship between Bears operating backs Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo as Piccolo used to be loss of life from most cancers.
4 years nearest the film debuted, the Bears selected Payton with the fourth select of the draft. By way of 1980, when the Bears decided on Suhey in the second one spherical of the draft, Payton were voted All-Professional 4 occasions, NFL Maximum Decent Participant and NFL Guy of the Time. He used to be celebrated for his taste — refusing to expire of bounds, opting for punishment over preservation, shooting up from the obese accident with a grin and incorrect indication of ache.
First of all, Payton refrained from Suhey. The fullback who helped create Payton a luminary used to be Roland Harper, who used to be additionally Payton’s closest confidant and looking spouse. However Harper’s knees have been betraying him, and everybody may see Suhey used to be drafted to interchange him. At the uncommon events when Payton stated Suhey, he referred to as him “short white boy.”
Suhey and Payton have been Chicago teammates for 8 seasons. (Courtesy of the Chicago Bears)
Within the opening recreation of Suhey’s 2d season in opposition to the Packers, Harper used to be injured. With 32 seconds residue and the Bears trailing by way of seven, Suhey took a handoff on the Packers’ 3 and used to be one step clear of scoring when he fumbled. The Packers recovered and gained the sport.
Suhey used to be devastated. As he walked to the depot room, Payton smiled at him and requested if he ever had a paper direction. Suhey requested what he used to be speaking about. With a snigger, Payton advised him if he ever fumbled like that once more he would wish to discover a paper direction as a result of his soccer profession can be over. Suhey couldn’t assistance however chortle.
Refer to Sunday, Payton fumbled two times, together with at the 1-yard sequence, in a loss to the 49ers. Upcoming the aviation house from San Francisco, Suhey and operating again Dave Williams were given in Suhey’s automobile to force to The Snuggery in Edison Landscape. Upcoming Suhey heard a knock on his window.
“Where you going?” Payton requested.
Payton went, too. For the primary generation, Payton and Suhey had an actual dialog, speaking nicely into Monday morning. When Suhey was at Halas Corridor refer to Wednesday, one thing had modified.
Sooner than lengthy, their courting turned into a wedding with out the rings and roses, a life-time constancy to the alternative’s well-being, a non-public co-dependency and trade partnership.
They have been stressed out in a different way as soccer gamers. Suhey used to be obsessed with main points and assignments; Payton performed like a poet freestyles. In “Never Die Easy,” his autobiography, Payton jokingly complained that Suhey’s copious questions in conferences took years off his hour. However the fullback’s stability grounded Payton.
Despite the fact that it gave the impression as though they’d not anything in habitual aside from the sport they liked, there used to be a connective tissue between the two of them that couldn’t be quantified. They generally covered up within the I-formation, which they made the We-formation. Payton appeared to understand how Suhey would stop, and Suhey appeared to perceive the place Payton would step.
They labored out hand indicators to keep up a correspondence presnap changes, which have been vital as a result of quarterback Jim McMahon audibled ceaselessly. “If we were going to make a mistake, my thing was we both were going to be wrong,” Suhey says.
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When Payton beggarly the all time speeding file with a 6-yard run in opposition to the Saints in 1984, Suhey threw the govern stop, crushing linebacker Dennis Winston off-tackle. In a while, Payton took Suhey to a blues bar at the South Aspect of Chicago the place they partied with Jim Brown, whose file Payton beggarly. Upcoming Payton talented Suhey with a shotgun significance about $10,000.
Suhey and Payton performed golfing in combination. Suhey recollects him continuously hitting a 1-iron off the tee. They shot lake and performed a accumulation of playing cards, Hearts being their favourite. On bus rides, they sat in aisle seats throughout from one every other. Sooner than highway video games, they on occasion roomed in combination.
Bears center linebacker Mike Singletary had a neighboring lodge room to the operating backs the presen sooner than Tremendous Bowl XX.
“Whenever practice was finished, Walter would fire up the music box, throw open his hotel door and start jamming,” Singletary wrote in “Calling The Shots.” “You could hear the two of them next door dancing, wrestling, acting like a couple of 12-year-olds.”
Their lockers have been aspect by way of aspect in an section of the depot room Payton referred to as “The Ghetto.” Suhey used to be the one white participant in “The Ghetto,” however he belonged up to any person, in part on account of his courting with Payton.
“I never thought of him as Walter Payton, my Black friend,” Suhey says. “And I’m pretty sure he didn’t think of me as his white friend.”
Payton mentioned Suhey used to be one of the crucial first white public he knew nicely.
“We were Ebony and Ivory before Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney,” Payton as soon as mentioned. “I think our relationship helped break down a lot of lines, a lot of racial lines, on the team and some said in the city.”
In a preseason recreation, Bears offensive linemen Mark Bortz and Keith Van Horne were given into it with Cowboys defensive lineman Randy White nearest the Cowboys have been unnecessarily tough with Payton. Chaos reigned. That’s when Payton sought after Suhey with him.
“Back-to-back!” Payton advised Suhey, locking fingers with him, their backs pressed in opposition to every alternative’s.
“What’s this?” Suhey mentioned.
“Back-to-back,” Payton mentioned. “That’s how we take them.”
The superb Payton used to be in a stratosphere of his personal within the workforce hierarchy, however Suhey knew how in order him indisposed a degree. When Payton teased Suhey for getting to Penn Surrounding, Suhey requested him the place Payton’s alma mater, Jackson Surrounding, used to be situated. When Suhey began dropping his hair, Payton complained in regards to the mirrored image from his head. Suhey ribbed Payton about his Jheri curl.
Suhey used to be a foil for Payton’s sensible jokes. Payton referred to as Suhey’s spouse, Donna, and, with a high-pitched expression, advised her he used to be Matt’s pregnant female friend. Donna believed Payton till he cracked up.
As soon as, Payton covered up in the back of Suhey in an I-formation in observe, and Payton pulled indisposed Suhey’s pants as Suhey used to be about to get going. {A photograph} of the prank upcoming turned into well-known. Suhey has a album in his place of work.
When the Bears was at Platteville for coaching camp in 1984, Payton didn’t wish to keep in a dorm room, so he hired a motorhome. Upcoming Payton and Suhey drove it over 4 hours from Chicago.
“We were like Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton (from ‘The Honeymooners’),” Suhey says. “We didn’t know where we were going, and the motorhome was so wide on narrow roads. We pulled through a McDonald’s drive-through in it. We had a lot of laughs.”
Suhey, Payton and Calvin Thomas are surrounded by way of journalists forward of Tremendous Bowl XX. (Courtesy of the Chicago Bears)
Payton wasn’t at all times goofing round. He might be moody and mercurial, and he saved secrets and techniques. Suhey, greater than any person in Payton’s soccer hour, at all times appeared to have the precise contact, realizing when and the right way to give him area or draw him out.
Payton used to be overwhelmed nearest fumbling at the Bears’ 2d offensive play games of the Tremendous Bowl. He was at the sideline and talked to Suhey. There used to be incorrect redemption; Payton ran for best 61 yards on 22 carries and didn’t ranking. Instead than proclaim the victory, he sulked.
“He was pretty upset,” Suhey says. “It was one of his dreams to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl.”
In lieu of looking ahead to the workforce aviation house the nearest morning, Payton returned on a personal jet, taking best his son, Jarrett, and Suhey. That evening, Suhey knew higher than to tease Payton about his Tremendous Bowl efficiency. However upcoming, he couldn’t assistance himself.
“You may be the greatest player ever in the NFL, but I scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl and you didn’t,” he advised him.
“Read between the lines,” Payton mentioned, conserving up his index finger, center finger and ring finger.
Suhey’s youngest son, Scott, used to be born on March 4, 1994 (3/4/94) at 10:34 a.m., and Suhey referred to as his used teammate, Negative. 34. He advised Payton how the numbers aligned.
“I’m his godfather,” Payton replied. And he used to be.
Upcoming Payton turned into in poor health, he may not force. However he used to be uncomfortable staying in a single playground all while, so Suhey took him for rides in his Mercedes 430. Suhey estimates they went on as many as 40 drives. Payton, the one-time race automobile driving force, criticized Suhey’s wary means in the back of the wheel, telling him his using would explode him sooner than the most cancers did.
Dairy Queen used to be a common vacation spot, however continuously they simply drove. When Suhey would tire, he’d ask Payton if he sought after to walk house. “Keep driving,” used to be continuously the answer.
“I think he was trying to soak up those moments,” Jarrett says.
“Sometimes on those rides, he was chatty as a bird,” Suhey says. “Other times he wouldn’t say a word. We talked about his favorite restaurants, and some he wanted to go to. He loved P.F. Chang’s, and we went there. I wanted to take him to Francesco’s Hole in the Wall, but we never made it.”
Past due in Payton’s hour, he requested Suhey to force him to Singletary’s space, after gave him instructions. Suhey rang the bell, however Singletary didn’t resolution. That’s when Suhey regarded again to peer Payton cracking up. Suhey were had once more.
“Matt helped me laugh and after I got sick, I needed that more than ever,” Payton mentioned.
Payton refused to permit any person to accompany him to radiation and chemo remedies aside from Suhey, who took him to about 9 physician’s appointments. Payton generally sought after to have his chemo administered in the dead of night when his presence wouldn’t manufacture a stir. Suhey used to be by way of his aspect.
“Walter was a loner,” his spouse, Connie, says. “There weren’t a lot of people he would hang out with. He was strange like that. But I knew Matt was special to him and near to his heart because he allowed him to be in his space.”
Connie says she may depend on one hand the collection of public her husband allowed on the Barrington space throughout the ones days. Between the two of them have been Singletary, trade spouse Mike Lanigan and Suhey, who visited 4 or 5 occasions weekly.
Payton confirmed Suhey his choice of firearms, blades and bows. They watched TV in combination, most commonly wearing occasions and films. They performed the comedy “Major Payne” over and over again — Payton did a spot-on imitation of Damon Wayans’ persona. It wasn’t extraordinary for Suhey to go to sleep in entrance of the tv. He as soon as woke, discovered Payton gazing him and joked that he used to be taking a look at him a slight too lovingly.
Payton’s meds made him sleepy and listless. All the way through one tough stretch, he blocked consuming. Handiest Suhey may get him to devour and whisk extra fluids. “He could move Walter in a way that sometimes we couldn’t,” Connie says.
Now and again Suhey slept over within the bed room belonging to Jarrett or his sister, Brittney. The children needed to to find in other places to relief. Each time Suhey left, he woke Payton with a kiss at the brow and advised him he liked him. Payton at all times requested, “When are you coming back?”
As Payton’s visuals yellowed and his weight reduction neared 100 kilos, he and his former teammate didn’t glance again and reminisce a lot about soccer as maximum used gamers would.
They regarded ahead, discussing what would turn out to be of Payton’s trade empire, his youngsters and his spouse.
They mentioned his legacy.
They mentioned his soul.
Payton compiled over 7,000 speeding yards and scored 39 touchdowns at the garden throughout the years Suhey used to be his number one govern blocker. (Courtesy of the Chicago Bears)
Suhey recollects the early afternoon telephone name that got here on Nov. 1, 25 years in the past Friday. He were anticipating it for a date, however the information surprised him simply the similar. He drove to Payton’s space to be with the folk.
Payton had named Suhey the executor of his property and put him answerable for his identify, symbol and likeness rights. Suhey used to be concerned with origination the Walter Payton Liver Heart on the College of Illinois Sanatorium and Walter Payton Faculty Preparatory Top Faculty. In keeping with Jarrett, Suhey continues to lord over all issues bought underneath the Walter Payton identify — and hasn’t ever requested for anything else in go back.
“I had no clue about a lot of business dealings, so I was very thankful for Matt because I could trust him to be honest and true,” Connie says. “For me, it was a big deal.”
Suhey has prompt Jarrett on investments, together with his stakes in Flagship at the Fox sports activities bar, Jarrett Payton’s All-American Wheat Ale and Payton Top rate Espresso.
Suhey’s backup has been emotional up to monetary. Connie considers him a obese brother; to Jarrett, he’s a father determine. Suhey told to Jarrett in regards to the sanctity of the vows he took when he married Trisha. When Jarrett’s son, Jaden, used to be born, Suhey calmed his nerves, assuring him parenthood would come naturally in generation.
Jarrett texts Suhey footage of his youngsters. Suhey has been to their birthday events. Jarrett’s folk vacationed with the Suheys at their Arizona house.
“He tells me every time I talk to him — every time,” Jarrett says. “‘Do you know how proud your father is of you?’”
The anniversary of Payton’s dying is at all times a hard while for Suhey.
On a up to date per annum, the fullback discovered himself isolated in an used church that used to be lightless aside from for streams of daylight beaming via stained glass. He lit a votive candle. Upcoming every other. Two candles turned into 4, turned into 10, turned into 20 till every one used to be aflame. He filled $100 within the assortment slot.
Upcoming the fullback sat isolated in peace fascinated about the times he and the tailback ran in combination. And within the sacred, heat radiance of candlelight, he prayed that one while they might run in combination once more.
(Representation: Meech Robinson / The Athletic; footage courtesy of the Chicago Bears)
