In August 1984, after ten seasons with the Chicago Bears as place kicker, Bob Thomas was notified by the Bears' management that he was being cut. Thomas, a born-again Christian, waited until he knew the locker room would be cleared of players to clear out his things. He didn't have the emotional strength to face the players he'd grown to love. His celebrated teammate, Walter Payton, another believer, had learned of Thomas' termination and waited alone at the kicker's locker after the others had left. When Bob saw Walter, he buried his face in the running back's chest and allowed his friend and fellow Christian to comfort him.

After Walter Payton's death in the fall of 1999, Bob Thomas recalled that emotional moment in the Bears locker room. "To share your grief with a Hall of Fame running back with that kind of compassion, empathy and ability is really my fondest memory of the guy we called Sweetness."