Caleb Williams had already been trolled by the Chicago Bears fans for painting his nails in a ‘masculine sport.’ While he said that it’s just a way of expressing himself, the quarterback is now being called “soft,” questioning his toughness as a player after his emotional response to his hamstring injury against the Minnesota Vikings on September 21. But former NFL quarterback Ben DiNucci took a firm stand in Williams’ defense. 

“For anyone calling Caleb Williams soft please respectfully stfu,” shared DiNucci on X. “You have no idea the training and preparation these guys put their bodies through to be able to go out there every weekend and be at their best. The raw emotion is coming from a place of uncertainty that everything you’ve worked for could be taken from you. Miss me with all the bs.”

Williams suffered an apparent right hamstring injury after a first-down run in the red zone, going down and grabbing the back of his leg. He couldn’t put weight on it and needed help leaving the field before being carted to the locker room. 

After screaming in pain on the turf, he pulled a towel over his head, appearing tearful as he was carted away. Yet he still gave the home crowd a thumbs-up.

More than showing concern about the latest update on his injury, critics were ready to troll the Bears QB on how he handled the situation emotionally.

“Who knows what’s going on with the thespian,” Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports said on his podcast. “Inside the Actors Studio. You don’t know what his injury is going to be.”

Former NFL linebacker Will Compton argued Williams overreacted, believing the injury wasn’t severe. 

“And honestly, we’ll probably laugh together because that’s just the boys being boys,” he said in a video on X. “It’s a man’s game. You can’t be getting carted off for hamstring injuries. That can’t happen. Again, grade three, surgery today or tomorrow, that’s a different animal. But if we’re talking hamstring strain, that just can’t happen, man.”

While criticism poured in for Williams’ emotional outburst, the quarterback had his supporters, who have put themselves in his shoes, instead of judging his reaction superficially. 

If DiNucci’s defense comes out as blind love, someone who molds NFL players through rigorous training also holds the same opinion about Williams. 

“For those who view Caleb Williams as “soft”, even grade 1 strains can be painful. And sometimes a player’s response is more out of frustration or fear rather than severity of injury,” wrote Doctor of Physical Therapy, Jeff Mueller on X. “If you truly work on and care for athletes, you’d understand the empathy involved.”

The 2026 season is Williams’ make it or break it year. In 2025, he racked up 3,942 passing yards and 27 touchdowns while throwing only seven interceptions, setting a franchise single-season record and leading Chicago to both a division crown and a playoff victory. But it was not enough for him to bring a Lombardi Trophy for his team. 

So, this offseason, he gave his heart and soul to training. In July, Sporting News reported that Williams lost 10-15 lbs this offseason. Williams said he gives himself “two weeks of really unhealthy eating,” indulging in some of his favorite junk foods during that stretch. The rest of the time, he follows a stricter routine focused on his meals, hydration, and sleep. All of these show the dedication he has put in for the Bears.

As pointed out by both DiNucci and Mueller, even after putting in his 100%, at times certain things are beyond our control. So when Williams got injured, everything flashed in front of his eyes as a fear of failure chased him. 

As per the latest update by Tom Pelissero, there has not been any ‘major injury,’ and the quarterback is not being ruled out for Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 28.