CANTON, Ohio. — As I made the trek to Canton on Thursday, with Spectrum News 1’s Andrew Havranek expertly handling the driving, my mind couldn’t help but drift to my experiences through the years with LeRoy Butler.
He enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame here on Saturday. I first interviewed Butler in 1990, when he was a Packers rookie. Through the years, he was always a great interview. Just like today, you couldn’t take your eyes off that made-for-TV smile.
In 1995, when the Packers ended a long division title drought with a narrow win over the Steelers at Lambeau Field, LeRoy was so happy that he kissed me on a live television postgame show. He remains the only person to have ever kissed me on live television.
I was in New Orleans when LeRoy and the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI over the Patriots. I was in San Diego the next year when there seemed to be no way the Packers would lose in Super Bowl XXXII to the Broncos. They did.
I saw a shoulder injury end his brilliant playing career prematurely. Quite honestly, there’s never been a more media-friendly player in that Packers locker room.
This will be the ninth year that LeRoy, Gary Ellerson and I do the Roundtable together. What you see on Monday and Thursday nights on Spectrum News 1 is for real.
We like each other, and have no trouble giving each other a hard time. There’s a lot of laughter, on and off camera.
One thing I can tell you with confidence. LeRoy is who you think he is. Now, he’s a Hall of Famer. It’s long overdue and well-deserved.
In my opinion, this is bigger than Super Bowl XXXI and bigger than the Lambeau Leap.
This is football immortality. Enjoy it, Mr. Butler. Packers fans everywhere are proud of you. So am I.