This story was updated to correct a typo.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud gave Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams some unprompted advice after their “Sunday Night Football” clash in Week 2.
Stroud met Williams at midfield for a postgame handshake and advised the rookie quarterback to “stop taking those hits” after the USC product was sacked seven times by Houston’s fierce defense.
Williams acknowledged Stroud and began to head to the locker room before the Texans quarterback called him back. Stroud then told Williams he was going to be “a hell of a player in this league.”
Much was made of the interaction, with some wondering whether Williams would view Stroud’s advice gratefully or as a didactic slight.
Stroud wanted to clear the air Wednesday and make sure everybody knew that his advice came from a place of admiration for his counterpart.
“It’s not like I was trying to ‘lil bro’ him or nothing like that,” Stroud told reporters at a Wednesday media availability. “He knows that. I have a ton of respect for him. I told him that I respected him.”