Former Bears coach Mike Ditka dismissed the author of a controversial new book on Walter Payton as "totally gutless." Jeff Pearlman's book is titled "Sweetness: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton" and will be released on Oct. 4. An excerpt of the book will appear in the Oct. 3 issue of "Sports Illustrated." "I think it's ridiculous to me," Ditka said Thursday on "Carmen, Jurko & Harry" on ESPN 1000. "What's the point? What's the point? The point is one thing only -- to sell books. That's all it's about. It's a bunch of crap, first of all. "If you're going to wait 12 years after somebody's passed, come on. This is the sign of a gutless individual who would do this. Totally gutless who would hide behind that, and that's what he's done."