Payton told the network he came forward with his diagnosis because he "wants all people to heed the warnings of government officials, stay inside, and behave responsibly."
“This is not just about social distancing," Payton told ESPN. "It's shutting down here for a week to two weeks. If people understand the curve, and understand the bump, we can easily work together as a country to reduce it. Take a minute to understand what the experts are saying. It's not complicated to do what they're asking of us. Just that type of small investment by every one of us will have a dramatic impact.”
Payton told the network that he didn’t have some of the side effects commonly associated with the disease.
"I'm lucky,” he told ESPN. “Younger people feel like they can handle this, but they can be a carrier to someone who can't handle it. So we all need to do our part. It's important for every one of us to do our part."
Louisiana in particularly the New Orleans area has dealt with the rapid spread of the disease.
”The concern with Louisiana is the amount of people that come in and out of this area after Mardi Gras season,” he told ESPN. “This is an area that doctors are concerned about. So our parents, and those that are more susceptible to this virus, deserve everyone doing their best to combat it.”