Thursday Night Football was rough for Caleb Williams. He endured another seven sacks in a 6-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, bringing his total to 67 for the season. However, the moment that seems to have gained some attention over the past few days came during the broadcast. At one point, color commentator Kirk Herbstreit openly questioned Williams’ preparation and leadership as a quarterback. It was a bizarre moment that he quickly tried to move away from, but many have called him out for it.
“I think the thing that remains to be seen — and only time will tell — is if he understands what it takes to be an NFL quarterback as far as the preparation, as far as first guy there, last guy to leave.”
Doug Farrar of Athlon Sports suggested that Herbstreit wouldn’t have said something like that if he were white. Yet because Williams is black, the analyst questioned his intelligence, which is something racially motivated people have said for decades.
“It may not seem like a big deal until you dive into the ways in which Black athletes have been portrayed since they’ve been allowed to play sports. The NFL had a “gentlemen’s agreement” which banned any Black player from the game from 1934 to the mid-1940s, and even when a trickle of players were allowed to participate, it was usually not at the “positions of intelligence” – quarterback, center, middle linebacker, safety…
…So, when we talk about a Black rookie quarterback like Caleb Williams, it behooves us to remember to hold ourselves to the same standards that we would were we talking about white quarterbacks. Again, one paragraph of talk in an unexciting game doesn’t seem like a big deal – Herbstreit was probably trying to create a narrative on the fly to keep people tuned in – but when you look at the history, it’s much more than it seems.”
This is another in a long line of pointless crap Williams has to deal with. He already has people calling him out for not being efficient enough because of his lower completion percentage and tendency to take unnecessary sacks. Never mind the fact he has broken several rookie passing records despite both his offensive coordinator and head coach getting fired in the middle of a season. What exactly is he supposed to do with such a chaotic situation around him? There is no pleasing some people.
Is Herbstreit racist? Unlikely. Still, that doesn’t make his comments any less dumb, insensitive, and backward. There have been indications for years that Caleb Williams has a stellar work ethic and leadership qualities. Surviving this season with a positive passing stat line would’ve been impossible otherwise. There is a fine line between fair critique and useless criticism.
If nothing else, this is another reason for Bears fans to rally around their quarterback. Williams is putting his body on the line to help this team win and getting hate for it. Time to show him the city has his back.
