Son of Walter Payton Surprises Culver’s Crew in Clinton
I'm not sure how famous Jarrett Payton is outside of the Chicagoland area, but one thing is for sure, his dad's legacy remains in tact all across the country.
Jarrett is the son of Walter Payton, the late, great running back for the Chicago Bears, who remains one of the all-time greats in NFL history. Nicknamed "Sweetness," Walter Payton was an instrumental piece in the 1985 Bears team that won the Super Bowl after demolishing nearly every team in their path along the way. Tragically, Walter Payton died of a rare liver disease at the age of 46 in 1999.
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Jarrett Payton's Lovely Interaction in Clinton, IA:
I had the privilege of meeting Jarrett and his sister, Brittney, when they came to my middle school back in 2010. They were incredibly sweet, and seeing their success as TV personalities has been inspiring. As it turns out, Jarrett drove through Clinton, IA this weekend and had an unexpectedly moving interaction with some folks at the Culver's in the city.
In a post he made on his social media accounts, Jarrett ordered at the Clinton Culver's while rocking a Walter Payton sweatshirt. When the cashier told her, "I'm old enough to know who Walter Payton was," Jarrett responded with, "that's my dad." Talk about a shell-shocking moment!
Then, a 17-year-old employee at Culver's told Jarrett that despite his youth, Walter Payton was his favorite football player ever. While waiting for his food, Jarrett was inundated with requests for pictures by the staff. He called it a "special, unexpected moment," and thanked the team for making his day.
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Jarrett ended the post with a moving message to his father:
@WalterPayton, you have no idea the impact you left down here. Your legacy continues to touch people in places you never imagined - Jarrett Payton, per Twitter
Jarrett Payton's Football Career:
Like his father, Jarrett remains a humble, inspiring presence in Chicago. A native of Arlington Heights, Jarrett played college football at Miami before being signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He bounced around the NFL and CFL before ending his career with the Chicago Slaughter (a now-defunct Indoor Football League team in Hoffman Estates, IL). It always stunned me he never so much as signed with the Bears practice squad back in the day.
View Jarrett Payton's social media post about his stop at a Clinton, IA Culver's on Twitter.