After Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was catfished in a now-viral video by someone claiming to be Ben Johnson, he took extra care to confirm he was talking to his new coach this week.
Williams described the prank on the "St. Brown" podcast with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Equanimeous St. Brown, saying he received a text message from someone claiming to be Johnson, then the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions.
Williams later FaceTimed the person on the other end, and the ensuing exchange went viral.
When Johnson was hired by the Bears Monday, he immediately wanted to reach out to his quarterback, but Williams made sure to take a ton of precautions.
"(Bears leadership) sent me his number. I knew it was right this time," he said. "He FaceTimed me, sent me a picture of his face. He had heard about the prank."
Williams had an understandable reaction to the news that Johnson had officially been hired.
"I was driving on the highway, but I gave out a loud yell and scream of excitement. It brings clarity to the offseason. I’m really excited about the Bears," he said.
Chicago Bears
Williams was one of several Bears players who traveled to Chicago for Johnson's first press conference, joining tight end Cole Kmet, wide receiver DJ Moore and others at the event.
It was a far cry from what had occurred earlier this month when Williams received a text message on the day before Johnson was set to interview with the Bears.
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"Hey Caleb, this is Ben Johnson," the infamous text had began. "Just wanted to reach out ahead of time before it gets released to the media, I will be taking the HC job. Very excited to work with you in the future. Great things."
Williams replied questioning if the sender was actually Johnson.
"Yes. I wanted you to be the first to know. We will talk more as the season winds down," the sender replied.
"The text was so, like, official," Williams said on the St. Brown podcast, saying it resembled messages he received from coaches during his college years. "It looked mad professional. I ain't gonna lie, it was a classic prank. It was a grade-A, S-tier prank."
Amon-Ra St. Brown, who plays for the Lions, apologized to Williams on the podcast for the role he played in the viral exchange.
Williams said he had texted Amon-Ra shortly before making the phone call, asking for Johnson's number to check it against the message he received.
"I wasn't gonna save his number, 'cause he's not our coach," Williams said, adding that, "Amon-Ra does Amon-Ra things, and doesn't text back."
When Williams didn't hear back, he decided to make the now-viral call.
Amon-Ra said he was eating dinner and by the time he checked his phone, Williams had already made the call. An hour later, it was on social media.
When asked if he actually thought the message came from Johnson while his team was still in the playoffs, Williams said he was confused thinking Johnson's interview had already happened, but it was actually happening the next day.
Now, Williams and Johnson will have plenty of time to actually speak on the phone, with Johnson promising to tailor the Bears' playbook to his quarterback's skill set.
