Scottie Pippen, Billy Dee Williams among many paying respect to Hall of Famer Gale Sayers
Tributes and memories filled social media Wednesday morning after news of Gale Sayers’ was announced.
The Hall of Fame running back for the Chicago Bears died after a battle with dementia. He was 77.
“My heart is broken over the loss of my dear friend, Gale Sayers,” said actor Billy Dee Williams, who portrayed Sayers in the 1971 TV movie “Brian’s Song.”
The film was about Sayers’ friendship with teammate Brian Piccolo, who died of cancer in 1970.
“Portraying Gale in ‘Brian’s Song’ was a true honor and one of the nightlights of my career,” Williams posted on Twitter. “He was an extraordinary human being with the the kindest heart. My sincerest condolences to his family.”
Other from the NFL and beyond paid their respects to Sayers, whose NFL career was cut short because of a knee injury. He left such an impression, however, that he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977 at age 34, the youngest player to ever be inducted.
This story was originally published September 23, 2020 at 10:44 AM.
