Caleb Williams has been a divisive figure since before he got to the NFL. Much of it stems from a cloud of toxic masculinity. Some people can’t handle some of his antics. One was crying in his mother’s arms after a gutwrenching loss to Utah. Another was his tendency to paint his nails before games, sending subtle messages. A lot of people in and around the NFL see those things as signs of weakness. They believe Williams is soft. One prominent name among them is clearly Jeffery Simmons.
The Pro Bowl defensive lineman for the Tennessee Titans first made his distaste for the Chicago Bears quarterback known in June when asked about his plans for the opener at Soldier Field. He wasn’t exactly subtle about it.
“Painted nails. I can’t wait to say that to him,” Simmons said. “Most definitely. Oh, it’s gonna be one of them games. I mean, he probably gets smack-talked by his teammates right now, but especially a game like that. My first game, of course I missed the last end of the season.”
Simmons hasn’t backed off that stance over the past few months. He doubled down on it during an interview in the days before the game. If you weren’t sure how much the defensive lineman already hates Williams, this pretty much hammers it home.
For one, he’s a defensive player. Hating quarterbacks is in his blood. For another, he was born and raised in Louisiana, the deep south. No doubt he had to deal with racism growing up, requiring him to adopt a tougher persona. Somebody like Williams comes across as a sissy to him. Last but not least? Let’s just say Jeffery Simmons isn’t known for being the most pleasant person. He was arrested for hitting a woman as a senior in high school during a fight with his sister and mother. There is also the incident he was accused of spitting in the face of Baltimore Ravens guard Marshal Yanda.
Nobody can dispute that Simmons is a great player. To say he’s a model for modern masculinity would be unwise. He clearly hates Williams for the wrong reasons. No doubt the Bears quarterback is aware of what he’s saying and probably has a special paint job just for the Titans on Sunday.
