Herschel Walker’s son may not follow in the footsteps of his Heisman Trophy-winning father, but Walker is just fine with it.
When Walker’s son Christian, 15, told him he wanted to be a competitive cheerleader, the College Football Hall of Famer was a bit confused. But after seeing the incredible athleticism displayed, Walker understood his son’s desire to partake in a different type of sport.
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"I didn't know what that was. Then he's, 'Oh, no. People turning flips and all this stuff. Dance and all this.' And I came out to see it. And I saw how athletic the kids were that was doing it," Walker told "CBS This Morning." "I was like, 'Geez, I didn't realize it was that big of a sport’ and I was proud that he was doing it."
Walker was a three-time consensus All-American running back at Georgia from 1980-82 before a 15-year career in the USFL and NFL. He also ran track at Georgia with Christian’s mother, Cindy. The couple admit to encouraging Christian to run track at his high school, but cheerleading was his own idea.
Walker said he and Christian both have been victims of criticisms and harsh words, most notably by TMZ, which asked Walker if Christian would be a cheerleader for the Cowboys.
"When everyone first found out about me cheerleading or, like, my dad's fans, they were really critical," Christian said. "It just seems like they had a stereotype about cheer, that it was just for females."
But Walker, who said he was bullied as a child because he had a stutter, said you just have to ignore those types of people.
“My thing is, if they don't understand and they don't know, let them say what they want to say,” Walker said.
As for Christian and football, Cindy said it was "just out of the question" early on, but Walker doesn’t care if his son ever carries a football the way he did in the early '80s.
"I love him so much that if he never played football, I'm going to love him as much as I love him now," Walker said.