One of the most iconic franchises in professional sports is the Green Bay Packers, who have played a pivotal role in the NFL’s popularity, with legendary coaches like Vince Lombardi and unforgettable superstar quarterbacks such as Bart Starr, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers.

Essentially Sports had the opportunity to sit down with one of the best players to come through the iconic Packers franchise, as Hall of Famer LeRoy Butler spoke to us about his partnership with DenTek as well as several topics about his team, including the Micah Parsons trade, Jordan Love, the current player in the NFL most like him and the worst Lambeau Leap he’s ever witnessed.

Q: You recently partnered with DenTek, along with a few other NFL stars. What prompted the collaboration, and can you tell us more about it?

“I decided to get involved because it was perfect for me, especially because I’m one of the many people in America who grind their teeth at night, and my wife does too. In general, it is a brilliant idea to tie fantasy football to teeth-grinding. When you’re winning by like three points and all of a sudden, it’s the last game and you lose by one point. Your teeth can almost like we say, crash out.

“The Ultimate Fantasy Football Punishment contest is a fun twist on fantasy football. DenTek created the contest to tackle the jaw-punishing stress of the season with their top-rated nighttime dental guards. These guards defend against teeth grinding, but DenTek also adds a playful element to the stat-crunching, lineup-tweaking pressure cooker of fantasy football. I love that DenTek has launched this. It means that the last-place finisher in your fantasy league could face an epic, over-the-top, history-making celebration of their loss, with NFL legends backing it up. It’s all about keeping fantasy fun while guarding your grin.”

Q: Do you play fantasy football?

“Yes. And that is why it was so easy for me to get involved with the DenTek Ultimate Fantasy Football Punishment contest.”

Q: What’s the best fantasy football punishment you’ve seen?

“Wearing another team’s jersey. If you lose, say I was playing Dwight Freeney and I beat his team. The worst would be if I said to him, ‘You’ve got to wear a No. 36 jersey,  take a picture, and send it to me.’ Or, if I lose, I have to wear a Dwight Freeney jersey.

I mean, you’re both Hall of Famers, but still. Your fan base is pulling for you to win because they don’t want you to wear a Bears jersey or a Vikings jersey. It is all in fun.”

Is it true you originated the Lambeau Leap?

“Yes, in 1993.”

What’s the worst Lambeau Leap attempt you’ve ever seen?

“Gabe Wilkins, he’s a lineman, he’s 6’5″, 298 lbs. He scores. And he’s so excited because normally guys that big don’t score. And he’s running to do it, and he gets – we used to have a net behind the field goal post, and they pull it up. And he got tied up in that net. Like a big tuna in a net that you just swooped up out of the lake.

It was so funny. He was running, trying to do, he got excited that he was getting to do the leap, and that cable caught him, and now he’s in the net. It was amazing. If there had been social media back then, it would have been trending everywhere.”

Q: Who is your favorite Packers teammate?

“Gilbert Brown is my all-time favorite. As a matter of fact, he was one of the two people who introduced me to the Pro Football Hall of Fame with my wife.

He was my locker mate for 10 years, and we still, to this day, talk two or three times a week, and we just love each other. He’s amazing.”

Q: What were your initial impressions when you joined the Green Bay Packers as a rookie in 1990?

“Well, to be honest with you, I was a Cowboys fan growing up. I really wanted to go to the Cowboys badly.

Drew Pearson was my favorite – No. 88. I remember my uncle, he is a [Chicago] Bears fan. He said, ‘Go anywhere but the Packers. I don’t like the Packers.’

Again, God is good. And the Packers drafted me. And for me, it was amazing because I grew up in extreme poverty. I always wanted to play in the NFL, watching it on TV. Coming from poverty, from my mom being a single parent, and just doing it. I mean, it was a shock to go from extreme poverty to having wealth. It was amazing.”

Q: Who was the toughest opponent or team you faced that year, and what made them so challenging?

“The San Francisco 49ers when I was a rookie – they were world champions. I mean, those guys were flawless. And the thing about them, they didn’t have a lot of weaknesses. So, as a rookie. I’m thinking, okay, this is going to be difficult because that was the one team that everybody looked up to and wanted to emulate.”

Q: What’s your opinion on the Micah Parsons trade?

“The last time I was this happy was when I proposed to my wife, and she said yes.”

“As a guy who wants to win a Super Bowl. Thank you, God! We got Micah Parsons. I was beyond excited because a lot of our fans thought we wouldn’t be able to sign somebody like that. A lot went into that, and I was extremely excited.”

Q: Did you watch the 40-40 tie?

“Yes, every second.”

Q: What are your thoughts on your former team this season? Are they a legit title contender?

“I’m excited. They’re one of five teams that can make it to the Super Bowl. So that’s what I’m expecting, and I expect our quarterback. Jordan Love to be an MVP candidate.”

Q: Do you think Jordan Love has what it takes to be the long-term franchise quarterback for Green Bay?

“Yes, oh yes!”

Q: Which current NFL defensive back reminds you most of yourself?

“Minkah Fitzpatrick with the Miami Dolphins. He can play close to the line of scrimmage, and he can play deep. He can do it all. I felt like that.”