Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was pressured to alter his cellphone variety of 15 years after a prankster reached out final week and recognized himself falsely as Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Williams acquired a textual content that appeared “so official” from somebody claiming to be Johnson, one of many Bears’ 20-plus head teaching candidates, claiming he was going to take the Bears job and wanting to talk. Williams thought it may be him, understanding his interview with the Bears was scheduled round that point. He reached out to Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, a fellow USC alum, for Johnson’s quantity with the intention to cross-check that the quantity was right.
“I wasn’t going to avoid wasting his quantity, as a result of he’s not our coach,” Williams instructed the St. Brown Podcast, hosted by Amon-Ra and brother Equanimeous, in an episode that posted Wednesday morning.
Amon-Ra St. Brown was at dinner Friday and didn’t write again in time, Williams stated. By then, Williams had been pranked. The video of a scuttled FaceTime name was later posted on-line.
“You’re a terrific QB,” a young-sounding man stated on FaceTime. “I’m so glad you’re going to get a brand new head coach. I don’t know if it’s Ben Johnson.”
Johnson admitted he’d been had.
“It was a basic prank … I’ve received to offer them props,” Williams stated.
Williams was mad afterward, understanding that the video would in all probability go surfing and he’d be pressured to alter his quantity.
“I used to be attempting to not flip out — I knew they have been in all probability recording,” he stated.
Amon-Ra St. Brown joked that he trashed Williams to Johnson and that he’s trashed Johnson to others, hoping to trick groups in letting the offensive coordinator keep in Detroit. The Lions play the Commanders in a playoff recreation Saturday.
Williams supplied little perception into the teaching search. When Equanimeous St. Brown, a Notre Dame alum, requested about coach Marcus Freeman being a possible candidate, Williams stated he didn’t know whether or not he’d be interviewed. He stated he revered what Freeman achieved with the Combating Irish.
“I’d keep put — he constructed the whole lot over there,” he stated.
Williams stated that “selfishly” he desires an offensive-minded coach however that he’d be proud of a strong-minded chief of males who was good at clock administration, no matter his background.
