Actor Kevin James got to call the plays as Sean Payton in the 2022 Netflix hit “Home Team.” The movie was based on Payton’s year-long suspension from the NFL from “Bountygate” and how he ended up coaching kids in his surprise sabbatical from the league.
But was the film based on true events involving Payton? And was it high school kids he coached in his year away from the league in 2012?
Real Story Behind ‘Home Team’ and Sean Payton
Turns out it wasn’t the high school level where Payton coached — it was a level below that — the youth football ranks.
MORE: Has Sean Payton Turned Things Around in Denver?
He went on to coach his 12-year-old son Connor’s football team in the Dallas area as the league gave him a suspension.
And while with the Liberty Christian Warriors, Payton witnessed his own rise through that coaching ranks. He wound up serving as offensive coordinator for his son’s team.
Did Payton Run the Saints’ Offense With His Son?
After rising to OC, were the kids running an NFL offense?
Yes indeed. Payton told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in a September 2012 interview that he ran the Saints’ offense.
However, the kids weren’t running the entire New Orleans offense Payton had created. He revealed they only ran up to 12 plays. They ran a more simplified version of the offense, and players had the plays on their wristbands.
In the end, his son’s team had their own underdog story. They went from last place to the playoffs. Ultimately, Netflix and Happy Madison Productions believed they had found a made-for-Hollywood film and turned to James for the lead role.
Co-starring was Taylor Lautner, who played the head coach of Liberty Christian. Lautner’s character, though, was named Troy Lambert. The head coach who worked with Payton was Brennan Hardy.
What Is Payton’s Son Doing Now?
Eleven years removed from the bounty gate scandal and from having his father briefly coach him, what is Connor Payton doing now?
Turns out he briefly got his own NFL taste.
Payton earned a role with the Saints’ scouting department through his father. That was toward the tail end of Payton’s tenure with the Saints, as his final season as head coach was in 2021.
Before scouting for talent, Connor attended Texas Christian University. He did not play football for the Horned Frogs. Now, he’s watching his dad lead the Denver Broncos to a 4-5 mark and staying in the race for the playoffs.
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