411 Movies Interview: Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame Safety LeRoy Butler
Posted by Tony Farinella on 01.23.2008
411's Tony Farinella sits down with LeRoy Butler for an exclusive interview about his football career and his breast cancer foundation.
If you've ever read any of my interviews, you know that I'm a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan. I take my Packers football very, very seriously. Even though I love movies, when it's Sunday, it's all about football, and how the Green Bay Packers perform. If they win, I'm in a great mood and the nicest guy in the world. If they lose, well, get out of my way! Needless to say, it's not every day that you get a phone call from former Packers Safety LeRoy Butler on a Saturday morning. I mean, I grew up watching LeRoy, and he was one of my favorite Packers. It's hard not to like LeRoy. He's funny, easy-going, loyal, and hard-working. The Green Bay community embraced him, and he's still a vital part of the community today. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing LeRoy Butler, and we covered a variety of interesting topics. We talked about his breast cancer foundation, his career, the current Green Bay Packers team, his physical problems growing up, and a whole lot more. This interview was a dream come true in many ways. When I watched LeRoy growing up, I never thought I would get a chance to interview him.
TONY: How did the LeRoy Butler Foundation first come about?
LeRoy Butler: It's very ironic, because nobody in my family has breast cancer and nobody that I knew personally had breast cancer, but in 1998, we were playing the San Francisco 49ers in Lambeau Field, and I saw a young lady with a pink ribbon on her jersey. And when I saw that, I was like, "Man, what's that ribbon for on that beautiful #36 jersey?" And this was as we were out of the tunnel, and she was telling me about breast cancer. She was telling me that one out of every seven women may get diagnosed with breast cancer, and the other six may have it, and they may not even know about it. And, at the time, I had two daughters, now I have four, so it kind of scared me. Not only did covering Jerry Rice scare me, but it scared me with breast cancer, so I said when I retire, I would try to do whatever I can to cause as much awareness as possible, and we've been doing that ever since I retired.
TONY: Personally, what it's been like to help out so many women who have breast cancer? It sounds so rewarding.
LeRoy Butler: It is, because that's how I met Kym Lindau, and she's become my publicist now, so I want to be surrounded by the people who are the strongest. And those are survivors. Plus, it's easy to raise money for breast cancer and help, because I don't wanna be stuck on this earth with all these guys, man. That would be a stinky place, ya know? (laughs)
TONY: Tell us a little bit about your foundation and what it is that you guys do.
LeRoy Butler: We're very unique, because we help the women out directly. We don't give the money to institutions or things like that, because we know that millions and millions goes to research. And they're good causes, but we want to be able to help and touch the lives of families who need help. Sometimes as little as 200 dollars for a gas bill or things like that. And we also learned that breast cancer is about energy, and it's tough to get well if you're thinking about all the bills that load up. So, the women who don't have a whole lot of health care and who were laid off at their jobs because they couldn't make it because of breast cancer, we've been kind of taking them under our wings. And the good thing about it is we've been kind of building a database, and those women have been kind of activists for our foundation. So, I'm very proud of that.
TONY: The thing I really admire about you, LeRoy, is the fact that you've done so well for yourself after you retired. We see so many different football players who have such a hard time adjusting to life after the NFL. What's been the key to all of your recent success?
LeRoy Butler: You gotta just move on and become a fan of the game. Don't look at these games like, "I wish I was there." That's the only way, I think, you get tied up in it, because you're wishing you were there or saying "They're making probably double the money now than when you played." You gotta just move on and become a businessman in your next life. And you can still touch people. And that's the good thing about being in the state of Wisconsin: They've taken care of me, because I took three or four pay cuts to stay on this team, because I love the people, and I love the fans. It's great here. Everybody supports everybody, and they understand what our cause is, and they've donated thousands of dollars to the foundation. And I just like helping people, because there's no way I could have made it without somebody helping me.
TONY: If someone is reading our interview right now and needs help with breast cancer, how can they get in touch with your foundation?
LeRoy Butler: I know everybody has email and websites and all that, so the best thing to do is go to leroybutlerfoundation.org, and you'll see a form on there, and you download that form and fill it out and have your hospital sign it and then just mail it in. Now, that will be under construction the next couple of days, because we had a new board meeting, and we have some new ways to raise money and get out to the women. Normally the grants take between two to four weeks, or sometimes longer and sometimes less. We have thousands of women on that list but don't look at it that way. Just look at your situation as the only way we can help you is if you apply.
TONY: I want to talk to you about two very important people in your life: Your mother and Bobby Bowden. What did you learn from them?
LeRoy Butler: Well, starting with my mom, she was always my role model growing up, and I always wanted to be like her, because she was strong, she raised five kids on her own, and she never asked anybody for anything. She just was a great person. She worked two or three jobs and would come home and raise the kids just like it was nothing. Her and my dad divorced when I was four-years-old, but she did a good job in raising me and my brothers and my sisters. Now, Coach Bobby Bowden was really more emotional, because I was a Proposition 48, and what that meant was I didn't pass the SAT or the AST or get a high enough score to qualify to go to college, but I could still attend, but I couldn't play the first year. So, again, he stepped in, because I was All-American in High School, and when all these big schools pulled back, he pressed forward. And I'll never forget him for that.
TONY: What I've also noticed about you is the fact that you're always smiling and always positive. With certain people, they let their past hold them down. With you, you wear it like a badge of honor. How have you done that?
LeRoy Butler: I try to stay focused on the big picture, and I just think that my life has been kind of a story in itself. I try to let people learn from that. And that's why I was so compelled to write that book: To let kids know that, you know what, you're gonna go through some adversities, but you gotta keep fighting. And I try to be a role model for everybody that understands that if I wanna do something, I get out and do it. No one's gonna give you anything, and that's the reason why I started the foundation as well, because I wanted this foundation to be run by the people, because it's really for the people. So, I'm very proud of that as well.
TONY: In your book, you mentioned how you had to wear leg braces and use a wheelchair at times while growing up. As a kid, how much of that did you understand?
LeRoy Butler: Yeah, I didn't really realize that I was stuck in a wheelchair until I was like six or seven years old. I just thought it was part of therapy to get my feet stronger, but the older I got, I realized I had a problem, because I couldn't run and jump like the normal kids. But I never felt sorry for myself. I never said "why me?" and things of that nature. So, what happened was I just kept moving, and I kept asking my mom a lot of questions. I just kept saying, "When am I gonna be able to run and jump like the normal kids?" And she said, "Just hang in there and keep your dreams alive." And that's what I did. And of course it takes more than that. It's a lot of hard work, but I think mentally with moms and kids or dads, you gotta keep your kids focused on the big picture, and that's being able to get out of the projects, because that's what we were stuck in at the time.
TONY: Have you talked to any kids with club feet?
LeRoy Butler: Yeah, that's a good question. I have met a lot kids with club feet, and some of them are very good athletes. If you can look at the way John Elway walks, he's a little pigeon-toed and so is Brett Favre. I tell kids all the time that it's not about how big, strong, or fast you are, it's the determination and the will to do it. If you're willing to put the hard work in, the lord gives everybody a chance. All you gotta do is not give up and keep moving. You can play professional football, if you want to put the work into it. But it's so remote right now. And I just want kids to understand that if you do have club feet, that just means you'll be faster in the future.
TONY: I just read an interview with Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, and he talked about how he was a little hesitant to come to Green Bay, because some people told him that it wasn't the best place for a black man. When you were drafted by Green Bay, did you have the same concerns?
LeRoy Butler: Well, of course. I'm from the projects, and I'm Deep South down in Florida, and I was thinking, "Man, how am I gonna survive here?" But not only did I survive, but it's the best place for me. I spend more time in Wisconsin than I do in Florida. I don't know if I'm crazy or not with the weather, but it's just the people here, they don't see color ... they see hard work. And that's what I really, really like.
TONY: You spent your entire career with the Green Bay Packers. What does that mean to you?
LeRoy Butler: That's probably one of the best questions I loved to be asked when people ask me that, because it proves I didn't do it for the money, I didn't do it for the glamour, and I didn't do it for the media attention ... I did it because it was the right thing to do. This team put a lot of trust in me, and it was always the fans. I mean, I've never, ever been a free agent, and I've never been traded. So, I'm fortunate. And it never crossed my mind to move my family to a bigger city, because my family really enjoyed it here. And it's just the people. It's hard to describe, but you're like a rock star when you're playing for the Green Bay Packers. I don't care if you're Jerry Kramer to Brett Favre to guys on the bench wearing that helmet, people in Wisconsin know who are you. So, it's easy for you to come here and make a living, and it was easy for me to make that decision.
TONY: Since you invented The Lambeau Leap, I have to ask you a question about that. Out of the all players that have done The Lambeau Leap, who was the worst at doing the leap?
LeRoy Butler: Well, I have to say it was Gabe Wilkins. About six or seven years, he's a big lineman, and he scored on a fumble, and he was running to do The Lambeau Leap, and he got tied up in the kicking net and fell down and hit the wall. It was so funny. I mean, I'll never forget that. We still laugh about it, because you don't see many linemen do it, but the good thing about it was he scored. Whenever The Lambeau Leap is going on, usually the Packers are winning.
TONY: A lot of people have been talking about the cold weather in Green Bay, and what it's like to play in those conditions. What's the coldest weather that you have played in?
LeRoy Butler: The coldest game had to be, to me, when we played Carolina in 1996. I'll never forget that. It was freezing. Another game was in 1993 when we played the Raiders, and that's when The Lambeau Leap was born. It had to be ten below. The whole city was just shut down, and the wind chill was just unbelievable. I'll never forget that. When you're out there playing, it was not that big a deal. But when you go to the sideline and then you look behind you, and you see three idiots behind you with their shirts off, you're like, "Wait a minute, I can handle this. I got on all these clothes, and I'm playing football, and these guys got their shirts off." Well, in Green Bay, you have women with bikini tops with their shirts off. I don't know what's going on, but it shows the dedication, and it's really to intimidate the other team, because they'll be freezing, and they'll see other people with their shirts off.
TONY: Since you played safety for the Green Bay Packers, I assume you pay close attention to their current safeties. It seems like Atari Bigby has really come into his own ever since the Dallas game. What's changed with Bigby?
LeRoy Butler: The one thing about the Packers is they have two young safeties that I think are gonna be around for many years to come. And they play very well together, him and Nick Collins. Bigby, I think what he did was reevaluate himself and say, "What am I really good at it? I'm a hitter, but at the same time, I'm having problems in coverage. But I just wanna be a playmaker." And whenever you do that as a safety, man, you have a good chance of making big plays, and he understands that. And I'm proud to see a guy take his game from where it was to an elite level.
TONY: Even though his numbers are down from last year, Nick Collins always seems to be in the right place at the right time. What have you seen from Nick Collins this year, and how do you evaluate his talent after three years with the Packers?
LeRoy Butler: Well, it's a process. I remember when I moved to safety, it took me two or three years to be that elite player that I was, when I made All-Decade and four or five Pro Bowls and All-Pro and that kind of stuff, so it's gonna take him probably the next year to really get up under his belt and flourish in this system. With Bigby being so aggressive, you have to have one other safety to be kind of conservative. But I saw him last night, as a matter of fact, and I just told him, "Just keep under control and keep everybody in front of you, and you'll be fine. Just let your god-given talent take over." I think next year will be his year to really flourish and be a Pro-Bowl player. Again, he's been hurt all year. He did have legitimate injuries. I mean, sometimes you wonder if a guy's hurt, but he's had some legitimate injuries. He had a couple of knee sprains and his back was out of whack for a minute, but he's healthy now, so hopefully he can come around and make some big plays here soon.
TONY: When you saw the Packers in the preseason, what were your first impressions of the team?
LeRoy Butler: Well, when you saw them in the preseason, you knew they were the youngest team in the league, and you just knew they'd build and hopefully win 8 or 9 games, and it would be a good year. But what they've done is established a "we won't lose" mentality. Even when they played Chicago twice, you could see the resilience there, but every now and then, they don't win the intangibles. And that's the reason why they lost those three games: They didn't win the intangibles. The other games, there would be a ball bouncing around, and they'll catch it, or there'd be a tipped passed, and they'll catch it. Against Minnesota, Brett threw a pass, and two guys could have intercepted it, and it pops up, and Ruvell Martin catches it and scores. They've been the luckiest team in the league this year other than those three games. When they win those intangibles, they're hard to beat.
TONY: A lot of people were talking about Phillip Rivers last week, and how he talks a lot of trash. During your playing days, who talked the most trash as a quarterback?
LeRoy Butler: Oh, man, so many. I tell you what, I love Phillip Rivers, and I like what he brings. I would have loved to have had him on my team. Well, maybe as a back-up, because that would mean he would have had to play above Favre. But you don't see many fiery quarterbacks. Jim Harbaugh was pretty fiery. Randall Cunningham was a pretty fiery guy. And I'd say my guy, because Brett's pretty fiery. He'll talk it up with the best of them. So, over my career, I've seen quite a few quarterbacks, they just kind of lay low, but they don't want you to kill them.
TONY: Last week, a lot of people were talking about Eli Manning, and how the local Fox channel didn't want him to feel comfortable in Green Bay, so they took away Seinfeld from him. Have you ever dealt with anything like that on the road?
LeRoy Butler: Well, the toughest thing was the Metrodome. When we'd go to the stadium, they had these loud speakers right behind our bench that played this loud music. That was the toughest. And not only that, in your hotel room, they'd hire people to come knock on your door all night and call on the phone all night, just so you don't get any sleep. That happened when we played in Minnesota and that happened when we played in Philly ... it happened when we played in New York. Just about everywhere, they'll have some people try to sneak on our floors and try to keep you awake or just kind of cause problems. They go so far now that they'll just have a guy tip the burglar in your house so the police would call you long distance and tell you that somebody might have broken into your house, and it was a hoax. So, it's just crazy stuff. And that's all the people that are betting on the games, they feel like they wanna get an edge on the game, and it's stupid. Most players, 99 percent of the players, they're focused on the task at hand, and that one percent, every now and then, they fall to it, but the security people get them back on stage.
TONY: What have you seen from Mike McCarthy this season that's really impressed you?
LeRoy Butler: Well, I think he's the smartest coach out there right now, because he understands his flaws and understands his strengths. He's probably the best playcaller right now. He keeps you off-balance. He runs five-wide on third and one. He'll run short yardage formation on third and nine. He's just ahead of the game. When he calls a play, regardless of it works or not, he's prepared for the next play. I mean, he's just smart. I really value a coach that listens to his players and understands that his players make the plays. He's the skeleton, and they're the heart and soul, and he doesn't try to get in front of that. And he's a very confident guy. So, he would have been one of the few coaches that I would have loved to have played for, because as long as he's got that play sheet, I know I got a chance.
TONY: I'm sure it's so hard to describe, but what's it like playing in a Packers/Bears game?
LeRoy Butler: When Lovie Smith came, it was different, because they're beating the Packers, so I wish he wouldn't have been there. But, I tell you what, we had some classics. When Dick Jauron was there, those teams always had great defenses, they were really smart, and the one thing that I can always say about the Chicago Bears is when you've got that C on the side of your helmet, you've got a chance. And I know they didn't have a great season this year, but to go to the Super Bowl is a great accomplishment, and I don't think fans understand that. They have their "what have you done for me lately?" attitudes, and they forget about that. But if I had a guy returning punts and kickoffs every time he touched it, I'd be a lot happier. I know the quarterback situation isn't what they wanted it to be, but, again, that's gonna be a great team for years to come.
TONY: I just finished reading Bob Harlan's book over the holiday season, and I really enjoyed all of his stories about the Packers. What do you remember about Bob?
LeRoy Butler: He's just so hands-on. You can go in his office, and he'll help you out with any problem that you have. He just talks to you like a dad. He doesn't act like the big bad president. Some of these presidents and guys who run these teams, they feel it's very important not to mingle with the players. I think that's kind of stupid, because these are the guys who make your livelihood and put food on your table, so you should get to know them a little. And I just never understood how some GM's and personnel people, they don't mingle with the players, because they think you should draw a line there. But that's kind of crazy. Bob doesn't care about what people think, he cares about what his players think. As long as his players are happy, he feels like they're gonna win, so he tries to do whatever he can to make sure everything is fine. And one of the things that we wanted was a bigger locker room and bigger showers and bigger hot tubs and all that kind of stuff, and he went in and took care of that. And we really appreciated that.
TONY: At the moment, we have a number of very talented safeties in the NFL. As a former player, who do you enjoy watching?
LeRoy Butler: Oh, man, when I played, Darren Woodson, I loved watched him. Blaine Bishop, wow. I mean, Tim McDonald. Merton Hanks. I mean, these guys were stars. But, Ed Reed, he's kind of another pigeon-toed guy. And every time he's back there, he can change a game. And he's one of the rare guys that can play offense. I just like the way a lot of these safeties play now, because they're covering, and they're just not back deep and waiting on a ball to come to them in the middle of the field. They're blitzing, and they're covering the third receiver on third down, but, man, when I played, there was a lot of great competition. When I was playing, you could name twelve safeties who could be All-Pro or Pro-Bowl guys. And that's the way it was. If your safety played well, you usually had a chance of winning games.
TONY: I've read previous interviews with you, and you've mentioned how you need to be a good listener to make it in the NFL. It seems like we see so many great players who come out of college, but they can't make the transition into the NFL. Why do you think certain players have so much talent and so much promise, but it doesn't translate into the NFL?
LeRoy Butler: Every time you move up a level, you have to be even more quieter. You have to listen. If you go from Pop Warner to high school to college, you have to listen. Listen to how it's done. When you go from college to the pros, that's when you really gotta listen. Don't go on the field thinking you know everything, because some of these veterans can really help you. Sometimes it's hard to get their attention when you're 23-years-old, you got a lot of money, and you think you're on top of the world, and then when you get setback, well, maybe, I have to reevaluate that. So, I just tell all players, from Little League all the way up to the pros, if you become a good listener and study, you'll become a very good player.
TONY: What was it like winning a Super Bowl and then losing a Super Bowl in a two-year span? How do you deal with those highs and lows?
LeRoy Butler: Well, you know, it's tough to go back-to-back, so we did that, and it was fun. When you win that first one and then lose the second one, it takes the sting out a little bit, and you just try to take advantage of it, because you may never get the opportunity to go back. That was a good question, because people gotta know it's hard to repeat. That's why it's hard to repeat for Chicago. Once you go there that first year, everybody's gunning at you. You play a number one seed schedule next year, and you play all tough teams on the road, and it's tough on you. We valued that lesson of going back-to-back and knowing how tough it was, because the first year, you may sneak up on people like the Packers did this year, but next year, everybody's gonna know, and they're gonna game plan a little more, and they're gonna take them a little more seriously. So, it's very tough to do that.
TONY: Do you still keep in touch with a lot of the players from the Super Bowl teams?
LeRoy Butler: Oh, we're very close. I'll probably see fifteen or twenty guys this weekend at the game. We were a close-knit group. Me, Gilbert, and Santana, we do a lot of charity things together. Again, that's the only way you can win in this league is when you become close, and I think that's what Reggie White brought to our team in 1992, 1993. We didn't have bible study until Reggie got there, and when he got there, we put that in, and we used to go out together and do these things together, family events together. It made you trust the guy next to you on the field. It's kind of almost like the military. You gotta trust the guy next to you. That's why I have so much respect for these guys going over there and fighting these wars so we can do the things that we're doing today, but you gotta take that mentality and say, "I gotta trust the guy next to me. This is a guy I want in my foxhole. And I feel confident with that." So, when the players understand that and they trust one another, they're hard to beat.
TONY: Is this the best Packers' secondary you have seen in a while?
LeRoy Butler: I think it's the best they've had around here in maybe five years. They play together, they're fast, and they're very physical. I know they got more holding and interference penalties than anybody in the league, but that's just to send a message: We're not going to just let you run down the field and catch passes. We're willing to give up a five-yard penalty instead of an eighty-yard bomb. We're gonna just let you start over than get these long plays. When you come to Green Bay, you're gonna get held, and you're gonna get pushed around. And most receivers get frustrated, and they don't wanna play anymore. And that's what it's all about with that secondary: You're gonna get grabbed, and you're gonna get held, so just expect that when you come to Green Bay.
TONY: We've seen so many different players in the NFL who just can't stay out of trouble. They're always out too late, and they just seem to look for trouble. What do you think the problem is? Is it a mental problem?
LeRoy Butler: I can never figure that out, because I think it comes with your parents. My mom didn't play a lot of this stuff. I couldn't wear earrings and dreadlocks. Not to say that's bad, but home training, home training 101. You don't hang out at strip joints at four in the morning, because something bad's gonna happen. Home training. You don't push your girlfriend around. Home training. You don't just go and steal people's stuff ... you just try to do what your parents taught you to do, and if you didn't learn from your parents or grandparents, I mean, you're a grown man. And I think sometimes we get this mentality that I got millions of dollars in the bank, and I can do whatever I want. And I think that's the biggest thing that players have to separate. And it's OK to go out. It's not like I'm saying don't go to some of these clubs, but when they close, go home, because there's one guy sitting there, Billy Joe Bob, sitting there at the bar and thinking, "I can outrun Butler. Why don't I go over there and challenge him?" And it's stupid. Just stay away from that kind of stuff, because everybody out there wants to be you, so the one thing you can do is just keep your focus, and the reason why you're there is just to relax. If you were drinking, have another guy drive for you and just try to do the best that you can do, because everybody's watching.
TONY: Finally, let's close out this interview by talking about loyalty. How important is loyalty to you, and where did you learn how to be so loyal?
LeRoy Butler: From my mom. I've always had the same agent, same financial guy, same team. I've always been that way. Loyalty is what I'm about, and that's the reason why it was important for me to stay with the Packers. And I just see the big picture.
