Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams found himself at the center of a self-made controversy following USC’s 52-42 loss to Washington last Saturday.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Williams was captured on camera rushing towards his family in the first row along the Trojans’ sideline.
He jumped up into the stands and cried uncontrollably in his mother’s arms…
Caleb Williams was emotional after USC's loss to Washington pic.twitter.com/6SzGP9Cn4h
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 5, 2023
It’s been an extremely frustrating season for Williams. Even though he’s played great personally, the Trojans as a team have been epically disappointing – thanks in large part to their defense who can’t stop anybody.
Him jumping in the stands to cry may have been out of pure emotion and frustration.
While many looked at it as a show of passion and proof of how much Williams cares about football and winning – others looked at it as a major red flag and show of total softness.
For former NFL wide receiver and current FS1 analyst, James Jones, he looked at it as a selfish “look-at-me” move by Williams…
“You’re the best player in college football … You know the whole world’s watching you. You know the cameras are never leaving you. You jump in the stands and cry to your mom?”
“For me, I felt like that was attention seeking behavior,” Jones said.
.@89JonesNTAF on Caleb Williams jumping into the stands to cry with his mom…
"For me, I felt like that was attention seeking behavior." pic.twitter.com/HoetJjFGvC
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) November 7, 2023
Continuing his critique, Jones highlighted that while displaying raw emotion among teammates would have been acceptable, seeking out one’s parents in the stands for such a display was unprecedented in his experience.
“Cry in the locker room. Cry with your family after the game … To jump in the stands, I thought was just absolutely crazy,” Jones said.
Many people agree with Jones’ take … Do you???