Danny Parkins calls out media ‘using’ Caleb Williams’ name for attention: ‘I’d be embarrassed’

Caleb Williams’ hamstring injury has been a rollercoaster for NFL fans in Chicago and across the country.

First it appeared the non-contact fall was bad enough he might never be the same, only for it to be quickly diagnosed as a less-severe hamstring injury. By Monday, it was reported Williams might not even miss a single game.

The video of Williams pumping his fist to the Soldier Field crowd seemed sillier with each passing update. Before long, jokes about Williams’ dramatic exit gave way to familiar commentary about his toughness and masculinity, which has plagued him since college.

During an appearance on The Right Time podcast this week, Chicago native and Bears diehard Danny Parkins admitted the initial memes were “funny” but derided professional commentators “using” Williams’ name “to get attention.”

“Maybe I’m protective of my guy on some level, but it just feels like lowest-hanging fruit. And again, I have no problem with the memes. The memes are funny,” he said.

“And he thought his season was over and he might be back in a week; he’s gotta catch jokes for that. I have no problem with jokes. I do have a problem with the projection on his toughness or the idea that he isn’t masculine enough for the guy on the internet who wears makeup to work.”

Emmanuel Acho long ago became the face of this line of criticism toward Williams, but it spread widely. While Parkins did not single out anyone in the media, the FS1 host said anyone taking the opportunity to rip Williams should be “embarrassed.”

“I’m trying to not say any names, even though people can figure it out. Because the idea of clickbait, they’re just using his name to get attention to their thing,” he said. “But some of these people don’t need it. They’ve got all the money in the world, and they’ve got plenty of attention. It’s just, I’d be embarrassed. I’d be embarrassed. And I think that shame has just left the station a long time ago.”

Parkins also emphasized that Williams doesn’t often miss games or exaggerate pain, suggesting former players have adopted an unfair narrative about the young quarterback.

“People talking about sexual orientation, people talking about nails, people talking about how Chicago will never embrace him,” Parkins said.

“The dude got sacked 68 times his rookie year and didn’t miss a game. He is objectively tough. In the NBA, one criticism of some ex-players is that all they do is sh*t on the current product. How can you be these guys who played [in] the NFL and question his toughness?”