Ex-Bear fires back at a former NFL player who mocked Caleb Williams’ injury

The day after Caleb Williams grabbed his hamstring and went down last Sunday, the city of Chicago held its breath. Meanwhile, the rest of the world gleefully took a shot at Williams and the Bears fanbase. 

Bears fans got good news Monday when doctors said the injury wasn’t serious and Williams had dodged a bullet. Most expected it to be much more serious, like a torn ACL. However, once that news broke, analysts suddenly did a total 180 and felt free to clown Williams’ reaction to his injury.

They mocked the fact that his injury was deemed not serious enough to be taken on a cart. And they came out in full force to mock Williams.

Dave calls out Caleb Williams pic.twitter.com/k6hUgA7d0n

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) September 21, 2026

My dog after I spend $500 at the vet for what turns out to be something of absolutely no concern pic.twitter.com/Xs7pOk9bOW

— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) September 21, 2026

When ex-NFL offensive lineman Will Compton tried turning Williams’ injury into a punchline on his X, former Bears guard Kyle Long wasn’t letting it slide. Long pushed back immediately, calling out Compton for clowning a non‑contact injury and reminding him — and everyone else — that Williams wasn’t faking anything. Compton clowned Williams for being on the cart for a grade 1 hamstring. 

U made your post now shut the fuck up will

— kyle (@Ky1eLong) September 21, 2026

It was predictable, and it was exactly the kind of garbage you expect from someone like Compton. And while it is not known whether Long had any beef with Compton from their NFL days, his defense carried even more weight because Williams has a history with this exact injury.

At USC, Williams played through a painful hamstring issue in the first quarter of the 2022 Pac‑12 Championship Game. He stayed in the game, fighting through obvious pain. He powered through it because that’s who he is — a competitor who refuses to tap out.

So when people clown his reaction on Sunday, they’re ignoring the context. They’re ignoring the fact that Williams has already proven he’ll play hurt, fight through pain, and push himself past what most quarterbacks would tolerate. Instead, they keep attacking him because of his nail painting and him crying in the stands after a loss, like they’ve done so many times because they think he is not masculine enough.  

That’s why Long’s pushback landed so hard in Chicago. He endured 68 sacks during his disastrous rookie season under Matt Eberflus and then offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. He is tough as nails. Clowns like Portnoy and ex-players taking shots at Williams will only motivate him. Everybody knows Williams is active on social media. You can bet he bookmarked them already to fuel himself whenever he returns.