ATLANTA (AP) — At first glance, Herschel Walker,59, has a coveted political profile for a potential Senate candidate in Georgia.
He was a football hero at the University of Georgia before his long NFL career. He’s a business owner whose chicken products are distributed across the U.S. And he’s a Black conservative with backing from former President Donald Trump, a longtime friend.
But an Associated Press review of hundreds of pages of public records tied to Walker’s business ventures and his divorce, including many not previously reported, sheds new light on a turbulent personal history that could dog his Senate bid. The documents detail accusations that Walker repeatedly threatened his ex-wife’s life, exaggerated claims of financial success and alarmed business associates with unpredictable behavior.
Senator (D) Raphael Warnock, is up for re-election in 2022.
◾️Walker currently lives in Texas.
◾️In 2008 Walker wrote a book, “Breaking Free”, about being diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, once known as multiple personality disorder.
◾️Walker says he may have as many as a dozen personalities or “alters” he said were a defense against childhood bullying over his stutter.
◾️In 1991 he said he played Russian roulette, “pointing a gun, loaded with a single bullet, at his head.”
◾️He gives credit to his turnaround to therapy and Jesus.
◾️Says in 2001 he was hunting down a man who was late in delivering a car he had purchased. “But another side of me was so angry that all I could think was how satisfying it would feel to step out of the car, pull out the gun, slip off the safety, and squeeze the trigger.”
◾️While hunting down that man, he saw a bumper sticker that read, “SMILE. JESUS LOVES YOU”, and decided to get help.
◾️Four years after he saw the Jesus sticker and got professional help, his ex-wife, Cindy Grossman, got a protective order against him, for violent and controlling behavior.
◾️His ex-wife Cindy Grossman said that during their marriage, Herschel pointed a pistol at her head and said, “I’m going to blow your f’ing brains out.”
◾️She filed for divorce in 2001 alleging “physically abusive and extremely threatening behavior.”
◾️In court, Maria Tsettos, Cindy Grossman’s sister said Walker told family members that he would kill her (Cindy) and her new boyfriend.
◾️Tsettos said in an affidavit, that Herschel called her while looking for his ex-wife and “stated unequivocally that he was going to shoot my sister Cindy and her boyfriend in the head.”
◾️In Dec. 9, 2005, more of the same with Walker stating to Tsettos he ‘had enough’ and that he wanted to ‘blow their f—— heads off.”
◾️Two days later he called Cindy’s sister again to say he had a gun and planned to act on his threats.
◾️The same day he confronted his ex-wife outside a mall in a threatening manner. Police impounded Walker’s gun that he kept on the floor of his car.
◾️A judge issues the protective order to Walker’s ex, and bans Walker from having guns for a period of time.
Herschel’s Chicken Business
◾️In media interviews, Walker has said that his chicken processing company in Arkansas grossed $70 million to $80 million annually and employed hundreds of people.
◾️Last year he applied for money through the Paycheck Protection Program and claimed just 8 employees, he received about $182,000 in COVID-19 aid.
◾️Later it came out that he doesn’t own the chicken processing plants, but has a Trump type brand deal.
◾️A bank sued Walker last month over an unpaid $200,000 debt to finance a pizza restaurant.
◾️In 2017 the company that supplied chicken to Walker sent a letter to him about $7200 Walker overcharged the company over a waffle deal.
In a deposition, Walker was dismissive and said: “I’m a big dog. I don’t play with puppies.”
