What We’ve Got Here is a Failure to Communicate

For the first time in nearly a month since suffering his hamstring injury, Bears’ quarterback Caleb Williams addressed the media on Thursday, and, boy, was he steamed. Willimas told reporters he had in fact suffered a “hamstring tear, and a pretty serious one” against the Vikings back on September 20. Until Thursday’s press conference, neither Williams nor coach Ben Johnson had felt the need to offer any clarity on the extent of the injury. Somehow, the inevitable speculation that followed their silence—dare I say collusion of silence?—is the media’s fault. How else to explain Williams’ belief that the sports’ media world was “not deserving” of any clarification? [both quotes from story in yesterday’s Sun-Times] Just so we’re clear here: Williams and Johnson provided zero updates on his condition—remember Johnson even hinting Williams might play the following week—and the resulting confusion is someone else’s fault? Please. Just imagine if Mike Vasil of the White Sox had tried to keep his Tommy John surgery a secret. There wouldn’t have been much “Magic Mike” all summer. A more upfront approach to reporting injuries is just one of the differences between baseball and football. You could probably compile a pretty long list of them.