Fear No Evil: Tackling Quarterbacks and Demons on My Way to the Hall of Fame

by Charles Haley, Jeff Sullivan, Jerry Jones (Foreword)

An elite pass rusher who was in the prime of his career, Charles Haley was traded from the San Francisco 49ers to an NFC rival, the Dallas Cowboys. Why would they make such a trade? The 49ers did so because Haley had become so difficult for teammates and coaches alike. It turns out that he acted this way because he had bipolar disorder. Haley, a Hall of Famer and the only NFL player who earned five Super Bowl rings, documents what it was like suffering from that condition and how he overcame it. He details what it was like to play for two championship organizations and the fights, transgression, and squabbles that marked his career.

Genres: Sports, Biography

240 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2016

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a kid of the 1990s, I had no idea or gave much of a thought to Charles Haley's mental illness and personal struggles. When it came to Haley back then, all I thought about was his pass rushing skills and his playing on successful San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys teams. But it's 2021 now and I'm a grown adult, so that means that I have a much different perspective on Haley's life on and off the field.

Fear No Evil was an in your face and real telling of Haley's triumphs and struggles on and off the football field. You can't come away from this book and not be more educated on metal illness and how it affects many of our football heroes from yesteryear.

Haley wrote this book because it was therapeutic for him. He spilled out all of his true feelings about how he grew up in Gladys, Virginia; what he felt about his dad missing his football career from high school to the pros; how he felt about players he played with in the NFL; and etc. I'm pretty sure he held back many stories from his NFL career inside and outside of the locker room, because you can't reveal all the juicy and private details of an NFL locker room. That's just the code of playing in that league.

Pros of Fear No Evil: I enjoyed Haley's narration of his coming of age story from the deep, deep environs of a rural Virginia city to reaching two rare NFL achievements: FIVE Super Bowl rings and entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Plus, Haley was really serious in this book about educating people on what a person with bipolar disorder can be like.

Cons of Fear No Evil: If you wanted a Charles Haley memoir that would have a detailed analysis of his 13-year career in the NFL then you weren't going to get it in this book. He threw out short stories on a few stars or well known names of those 49ers and Cowboys teams he played on. This book was more about his dealing with mental illness on and off the field than anything else.

In conclusion, Fear No Evil is a book about a man's struggles with a mental illness (bipolar disorder) that currently affects 2.3 million Americans. I'm glad that Haley wrote this book as to educate people about how mental illness can permeate your entire life if you don't get help. I wish Charles the best and this book is required reading even if you don't know Charles Haley from Alex Haley.

[Garryvivianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charles Haley, a (badass) pass rusher for the 49ers & Dallas Cowboys, tells his story about his life in a small town & his life playing pro football. All the while battling his mental illness, his aggression. I did not know of any of the "bad" stories about him, but evidently he was rude & mean & harassed everybody, players AND coaches. And he knew it was not right, he struggled to be better. Loved to watch him play, he was awesome! And he is the only football star to have won FIVE superbowls! I believe he is a good man & very honest in telling his story about his illness. Proud that he has overcome all the bad stuff & is always willing to go out of his way to help others. He is an inspiration.
Way to go, Charles Haley! Loved his football stories, glad he was always so so proud of the Dallas Cowboys!