Bear Digest

Podcasters label Caleb Williams your typical selfish athlete

Analysis: Chris Canty and Freddie Coleman of ESPN read last week's Esquire magazine article on Caleb Williams and leveled numerous criticisms, warranted or not.
Gene Chamberlain|
Caleb Williams talks to the fans during pregame prior to the Bears' 6-3 loss to Seattle last December.
Caleb Williams talks to the fans during pregame prior to the Bears' 6-3 loss to Seattle last December. | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

Even with the backdrop of an innocent, fun interaction with young fans and throwing a football at the Bulls' play-in loss Wednesday, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams can't avoid criticism that he is operating only in his self interest.

These comments come from ESPN's Unsportsmanlike podcast with Freddie Coleman and former NFL player Chris Canty, a frequent critic of the Bears QB.

They took their shots this time regarding the Esquire interview done by Williams way back in February but just now getting to print.

Canty's criticism was as much one of timing for the article, which actually seems a moot point when the interview was done back in February. Coleman, meanwhile, took a shot at athletes today as a whole, with a bit deeper stab, as he lumped Williams in with modern self-serving cash grabbers.

Again, maybe they should have seen and recognized many of the things Williams does entirely unselfishly, like his connection with the young fans at the Bulls-Heat game.

Bad timing on both parts

"Why did Caleb Williams do this article at this juncture in his pro career?" Canty demanded. "Why? I don't understand why this was necessary. You did more losing last year than you had at any point throughout your football career, high school, college, etc. Why did you take this time in such a pivotal offseason for the franchise to do a GQ spotlight article from Denmark of all place?"

The answer could have simply been because he was over in Denmark with his girlfriend, who is from there, but don't let that stop the podcasting fun.

"In pro sports, perception is reality and right now the perception around Caleb Williams is that he's a guy that likes football but he's also a guy that's enthralled with all of the things that football affords him opportunities to do," Canty continued. "And there's nothing wrong with being a Renaissance man, there's nothing wrong with having a venture capital firm 888 Midas, there's nothing wrong with being involved in real estate, there's nothing wrong with being involved in fashion, but first and foremost you need to be the quarterback of the Chicago Bears.

"And you've got a new head coach. There's a lot of transition within that franchise. You might want to be around with some of that."

The truth is, like Coleman actually pointed out, this article was an interview done in February. Williams wouldn't be involved at the facility for the "transition" because players are not allowed by union rules to take part in things there then. Williams was around for things they were allowed to be there for, like the announcement of Ben Johnson's hiring.

The Bears didn't even have the coaching staff fully hired until just before the combine at the end of the month so how is he supposed to be transitioning then?

Tampling on Matt Eberflus

Canty also took issue with the way Williams criticized Matt Eberflus for saying the team first started to have questions and be angry toward coaches after the Hail Mary defeat.

"And Matt Eberflus has done enough to throw himself under the bus, he didn't do himself any favors," Canty said. "You don't have to tap dance on your former coach's grave to make yourself look better. You don't have to do that to make yourself look like a leader.

He has a point here, at least about Eberflus, because it's just an invitation for the new Dallas defensive coordinator to come to Chicago this season and exploit some of his old QB's weaknesses.

Canty gets the cart before the horse with all of this criticism, though.

"If you're going to do that to somebody who always had your back no matter what was going on in Chicago last year, then, brother, you better deliver because if you don't Ben Johnson has more stroke in that organization than you do and if they don't believe that you're working out at quarterback in an offensive system with Ben Johnson guess what's going to happen? They're going to keep Ben around a lot longer than you," Canty asserted.

Canty's own comment appears ill-timed. At least let Williams become Ben Johnson's QB before fast-forwarding to some make-believe point in the future that might never occur.

They've been operating on offense in this type of threat-packed spin cycle at Halas Hall for decades so maybe just letting Williams prove himself without issuing threats is more conducive to success.

The selfish modern athlete

Coleman's criticism had to do with Williams' interests themselves.

"Caleb Williams, based on this article, based on what we've seen, based on what we've heard, this is just me spit-balling here, he is the ultimate modern times athlete where he wants to make sure that his brand is going to be first and foremost, winning be damned," Coleman said. "Let's call it as it is.

"It shouldn't be that way. I understand that. But there have been plenty of people that have been able to brand themselves and they've had winning associated with them."

He pointed to Patrick Mahomes as someone who oversaturates the market now but at least he didn't do it until he became a success. Jalen Hurts was another, he said, but Hurts is actually so low key he probably can't even be included in the conversation.

"Caleb Williams, in my opinion, is no different than the modern times athlete," Coleman added. "What can I do to make sure that my name is first and foremost? And then the winning will come later instead of 'if I win, that's really going to brand my name better.' "

It's difficult for anyone to dispute this assertion because there are so many examples of what Coleman said in every sport. With marketing exploding for athletes even before they become professionals now, it's only going to grow bigger.

If anything, this comment paints a picture of Coleman simply being so far behind the times it's laughable. That train left the station long ago and there's no sense crying about how it used to be. It's like complaining that Olympic athletes should still be amateurs.

The horse is out of the barn and the cash and branding will follow.

It's actually a handicap for athletes in many ways but there's no going back. Mahomes, himself, didn't have to come through the gauntlet like Williams and today's QBs will. He actually could focus on football until a year into his pro career before side business opportunities came along.

Now, all athletes are already on the escalator back into college.

There's no stopping it.

It's not a positive, but it's a reality.

It's also time for a pair of podcasters to get with the times instead of complaining about how gas used to cost $1.50 a gallon like in the old days.

More Chicago Bears News

X: BearsOnSI

Published
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.