The life of being a first-overall pick, let alone an NFL quarterback, is never easy, and this was no different for Caleb Williams. Even before Williams was picked first overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL Draft, he was under heavy scrutiny over what many termed “unmanly” behavior.
Williams pulled up wearing lip gloss and pink-painted nails while carrying a pink phone to the NCAA basketball tournament and received heavy backlash over his appearance. The quarterback has fired back at the critics now and isn’t interested in pleasing everyone.
Caleb Williams “Couldn’t Care Less” About His Haters
Williams has been painting his nails since his high school career at Gonzaga College High School when his mother, Dayna Price, started doing it for him. Price is a former nail technician, and Williams continues to paint his nails, even during the NFL games, to honor his mother.
Addressing the criticism he has faced over it, Williams told Esquire in an interview that he couldn’t care less about the haters and that the only people’s opinions he cared about were his family and teammates.
“The thing is, I don’t think about what other people have to say about me,” he says. “I can’t please everybody, so it’s not something I’m trying to do. I do have people in mind that I want to make sure that they know I care and know I work my tail off. And that’s my teammates, my family, people that actually know me. And then from there, I couldn’t care less, is how I go about it.”
Williams had revealed his mother’s role behind the nail painting earlier before the viral NCAA appearance, adding that he liked to be a trendsetter.
“It started, I would say, three years ago,” Williams said. “It was my last year of high school. My mom does nails. Let’s just start it off there. She’s done it my whole life. It’s just kind of always been around me. Nobody else does it. I just kinda like to do new things.”
Judging by Williams’ comments, the QB is going to continue to be himself and honor his mother’s art in his second year with the Bears. He finished his rookie campaign with 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and six interceptions, but Chicago finished 5-12.
The Bears have hired Ben Johnson, the former Lions offensive coordinator, as the new head coach, which represents a concerted attempt to rectify what was clearly the team’s biggest problem a year ago.
Johnson helped bring Jared Goff back to life in Detroit and will now look to do the same for Williams and a Bears’ offense that struggled for most of the 2024 season.
