There are many inaccurate narratives surrounding Caleb Williams that need cleaning up. Among them is the idea that he was never a good teammate. Videos have begun surfacing of how much guys love him. His USC teammates cheered like mad when he went #1 overall last month. Yet what people haven't seen is the depths he would go to for his guys. If there is one story out there that Chicago Bears fans need to hear, it is about when Williams basically held the NCAA hostage.
Towards the end of the 2022 season, it had become clear the USC quarterback was a heavy favorite to win the Heisman trophy. As per tradition, he was expected to attend the televised event to accept the award. However, there was a problem. Williams had a condition. If the NCAA couldn't accommodate it, he threatened to no-show the event. It had nothing to do with special amenities or treatment. According to Courtney Cronin of ESPN, Williams wanted his entire offensive line to attend.
Weeks later, when Williams learned he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, the quarterback arranged for his offensive line to join him in New York City for the ceremony.
"He covered everything," Neilon said. "And I know he told us later when we got to hang out with him, he was like, 'I told them basically I'm not going to the ceremony if my O-line's not there.'"
During his acceptance speech, Williams had each of USC's offensive linemen stand up as he called out their names. Instead of heading to a fancy dinner or making an appearance at the posh New York City establishments that sought to host the Heisman Trophy winner, Williams and his offensive line opted for a lower-key celebration.
Caleb Williams is both loyal and intelligent.
Any quarterback with half a brain knows the wise thing to do is make sure your offensive line understands you appreciate them. They are the ones having to battle it out for 60 minutes every week to keep you off your back. Their success was Williams' success. That statement tells you a lot about him as a teammate and also a person. Media backlash would've been a big thing had he skipped the Heisman ceremony, not to mention the guts it takes to challenge the NCAA. Williams didn't care. He went to bat for his guys.
This is the type of leader the Bears want in their locker room. Not only will he make sure his teammates are recognized, but he won't be afraid to defend against anybody and everybody. It is easy to see why Caleb Williams earned so much love from everybody at USC. One of the things Bears fans were afraid of was whether the young quarterback could replace the much-beloved Justin Fields in that locker room. They didn't want another Jay Cutler-Kyle Orton situation. Stories like this tell you it won't be a problem.
