Sean Payton’s Rise From Playing to Coaching, Family And Divorce

Quick Facts

Sean Payton has made a name for himself in the National Football League (NFL). He is a former American football quarterback and the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. In his early years as a coach, Payton would stay back in the stadium all night, planning how to go about his upcoming games. His sacrifices paid off and brought him many rewards. In addition to the attainments of his career, get details about his family, love life, and other interesting facts that are worth knowing about this Sean.

How Did Sean Payton’s Football Career Begin?

Sean Payton was born on the 29th of December 1963. He attended Naperville Central High School in Illinois where he participated actively in sports, playing football as a quarterback. He then received a scholarship to Eastern Illinois University and had a successful college football career.

After college, Payton was not drafted by the NFL in the 1987 Draft. However, he started his professional career playing for the Chicago Bruisers and later, the Pittsburgh Gladiators during the Arena Football League’s debut season. He later played in the Canadian Football League for the Ottawa Rough Riders.

Sean Payton eventually got his chance to become a part of the National Football League when he played for the Chicago Bears during the 1987 NFL Players Strike. The following year, he joined the Leicester Panthers of the UK Budweiser National League as starting quarterback. Shortly after, he opted to return to the United States to take up a coaching job.

Highlights of His Coaching Career

Sean Payton started his coaching career as an offensive assistant at San Diego University in 1988. Thereafter, he held other assistant coaching positions for other University teams but in 1997, he got a job as the quarterback coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. He later became the quarterback coach for the New York Giants in 1999. The next year, Payton became the team’s offensive coordinator and in 2003, he became the assistant head coach and quarterback coach for the Dallas Cowboys.

In 2006, Sean was hired by the New Orleans Saints as head coach. The team had struggled the previous year in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. However, with Payton’s arrival, the team’s luck turned around. He positively impacted the team with his coaching skills and led the Saints to their first playoff in 6 years.

Payton continued to lead the team to remarkable victories. As a result, he won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award in 2007. A few years later (in 2010), he published a book titled Home Team: Coaching the Saints and New Orleans Back to Life. He co-wrote the book with Ellis Henican and it made its way to the New York Bestseller list in the non-fiction section.

What Is The Football Coach’s Net Worth?

Sean Payton has shown an incredible understanding of the game since the inception of his coaching career and as a result, he is presently ranked among the best coaches in the NFL. In 2016, Payton signed a five-year contract with the New Orleans Saints to extend his tenure. Reports have it that he has a net worth of $22 million while his annual salary is pegged at $8 million.

Details About Sean Payton’s Family Life and Divorce

Sean Payton’s most significant relationship was his relationship with Beth Shuey. Sean first met Beth, an Indiana State University graduate, while coaching at the university. The two tied the knot in 1992 and had two children together. Their daughter Meghan Payton was born in 1997 while their son, Connor Payton, was born in 2000.

The couple started a non-profit organization known as Payton’s Play It Forward Foundation which is aimed at improving the lives of families and children in the areas of health, education, and social welfare. They also held an annual gala called Black and Gold Gala and have had prestigious personalities like Brad Pitt and Dr. Phil grace the occasion.

Beth filed for divorce in June 2012 and by 2014, the divorce was finalized. She got custody of the children with Sean providing child support. There are speculations that Beth caught the American coach cheating before she filed for divorce but she has never made any reference to that as her reason for wanting a divorce. She now lives in Texas with their children and Payton occasionally visits to spend some time with the kids.

Is He in a Relationship with Anyone?

Sean Payton is currently engaged to Skylene Montgomery, 2008’s Miss West Virginia; they got engaged in November 2019. Details are not available on how they met, but he is often seen with the beauty queen by his side.

What an amazing night Ms. Skylene Montgomery said, “Yes!” I love her like that.

— Sean Payton (@SeanPayton)

Skylene was born on the 4th of December 1984 in West Virginia to Darlene and Skylar Montgomery. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Exercise Physiology from Marshall University. Like Sean, she also has a heart for philanthropy and is known to support many causes, including Friendship Kitchen, Relay for Life, and Breast Cancer Awareness.

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