Is shedding tears acceptable in the realm of college football?
Caleb Williams left fans astonished by his emotional response to last week’s defeat against Washington. The USC quarterback took to social media this week to address the incident.
USC faced a 52-42 loss to the Washington Huskies at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, marking their third loss in the last four games and effectively dashing any hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff.
After the game, Williams was captured on ABC/ESPN’s cameras ascending into the stands to embrace his family. Subsequently, he openly wept in his mother’s arms, seeking solace away from the intrusive TV lenses. The emotional moment was documented in a video available here.
In response to the situation, Williams shared a quote on the Instagram page for his Caleb Cares Foundation, emphasizing the importance of mental health. The post carried the caption “Mental Health Matters.”
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Williams reflected on the incident, stating, “Being an advocate for mental health and trying to show your emotions and express yourself — it’s something that I’ve been doing since I was young, and now being on the national level, being able to try and share that awareness with the public and me doing just what I did on Saturday, even though it was far from what I was trying to do, it showed and spread that awareness.”
Critics have accused Williams of hypocrisy, pointing to his past mockery of another quarterback, Max Duggan, who openly cried during a press conference after TCU’s loss in the Big 12 Championship Game last year. Williams had responded with a dismissive tweet, earning him widespread mockery on social media.
Despite the criticism, Williams delivered an impressive performance in the loss to Washington, going 27/35 for 312 yards, three touchdown passes, and a rushing touchdown. However, the USC squad’s overall performance this season, standing at 7-3, has been deemed disappointing.
Discussing such personal matters may be challenging, but Caleb Williams appears to have a solid understanding of his identity amidst the scrutiny.
