Devin Williams to IL with hand injury

[young guns]

I was initially very angry at him, but reading some of these comments have cooled me off a bit. It sucks, hopefully we can cover and he is able to pitch in the world series and we will have all forgotten about this in about 30 days.

 

I guess we are going to have to add bubble wrap to all future celebrations now.

[True Blue Brew Crew]

Some of the comments in here are embarrassing. I am certain every single person here has done something just as dumb or worse at least once in their lives. The fact that he's a public person and you're not doesn't mean he's any dumber than you when you did the stupid things you did that no one cares about.

 

Nobody here was ever close to being an integral part of a World Series run. No one here is being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to play that role.

 

I’ve never done anything that put my job in jeopardy because I got drunk, upset, and then punched a wall, breaking my hand, which is imperative for my job responsibilities. I’m guessing most of us are in the same position.

 

There are other equally stupid things people do that don't involve alcohol. Driving while texting is an easy one off the top of my head and it could result in far worse than what Devin Williams did. Are you claiming you've never done something stupid that could have cost you or someone else something very meaningful. Perhaps even more meaningful that sports? Are you claiming you're perfect? Or are you merely claiming that if you were a famous athlete that you would be perfect at all times? Either way, you're wrong.

 

The only thing worth discussing is what the Brewers will do to adjust. This judgement of Williams as a person and a teammate is gross and every bit as bad as Twitter.

[mtrebs]

Some of the comments in here are embarrassing. I am certain every single person here has done something just as dumb or worse at least once in their lives. The fact that he's a public person and you're not doesn't mean he's any dumber than you when you did the stupid things you did that no one cares about.

 

Nobody here was ever close to being an integral part of a World Series run. No one here is being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to play that role.

 

Such unbelievably flawed thinking regarding the expectations of another human being. Stuff happens, it sucks, but it doesn't make Devin Williams a terrible person or one who should be traded. And it doesn't warrant the vitriol and talk of booing him. He made a mistake and feels terrible about it. He didn't lie and he faced his teammates, the organization, and the fans and owned up to his mistake. Imagine if there were people tossing you away when you did similarly stupid things.

 

It doesn’t make him a terrible person, but his actions have a significant impact on this team, which is/was in its best position to make a deep postseason run in basically franchise history. The gravity of this situation would cause most of us to lose our jobs. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Brewers FO are irate and there will be some significant action as a result. Actions have consequences, even in professional sports.

[owbc]

Who said anything about being exempt? The expectations should be higher for someone in his position to keep things in-check.

 

They are. The average person doesn't have to do a press conference with the General Manager of their company when they screw up this bad.

 

Other than that, what can the Brewers realistically do about it?

 

The fans could boo him. Great. What does that accomplish? We didn't even boo Ryan Braun after he ruined the 2012 season before it started.

[RockCoCougars]

At least Williams was forthright and didn't bring a suitcase into the story!

[pitchleague]

We just can’t have nice things, can we?

 

 

It’s ‘82 all over again…..

[BigDaddy1974]

The guy screwed up big time. Let his team down. He will live with this for the rest of his life. I do think he’s done as a Brewer. He will be shipped out this winter in a package deal for a 1B or something. I have a feeling Stearns and MA aren’t going to just give him a pass on this one. If i was in their position I would send him packing. Hope the return is high for him.

[Devinep]

Wow both stupid and selfish. Stick to mountain dew if you can’t handle your alcohol

[Fear The Chorizo]

Yeah, I'd imagine at minimum any thought of a longterm extension for Williams is off the table, and if they don't actively try and trade him this incident will be brought up every year come arbitration time.

 

Just really, really stupid and at a really bad time for both the Brewers and Williams

[AKCheesehead]

[sarcasm]What was he thinking? He should have just used the old, tried and true excuse: a suitcase fell off the bed onto his hand while he was reaching for a lost sock.[/sarcasm]

[JimH5]

It's a bummer, for sure and he seemed very contrite in the presser with Stearns.

 

He's been a great Brewer and I hope he's able to pitch as effectively with a plate in his hand.

 

Yovani Gallardo had his own incident with alcohol years ago and the team just put his plaque on the wall. I hope they show similar tolerance for Williams, whose infraction didn't risk anybody else.

 

It was a bad move, and he came clean about it.

[MrTPlush]

I mean he wasn't just an idiot drunk. He then tried to hide it from the team and even try to throw after the incident.

 

You can tell the Brewers are livid. For him to be doing that interview with Stearns (not Counsell) and the fact Stearns jumped in to clarify how he tried covering it up is pretty brutal. Getting treated like he is in kindergarten, but seems fitting.

[Joseph Zarr]

What in the colossal…WHY?!? Come home to a punched gut. This is such a huge huge blow to the entire team. I have no words for the stupidity involved. I agree with others on a trade and now other teams know he is in hot water so I imagine they’ll leverage the situation.

[Pugger]

What I'd love to know is what could he have been so frustrated with that he would punch a wall after his team just clinched the division and 2nd seed? It sounds like this young man has anger management issues.

[DuWayne Steurer]

What I'd love to know is what could he have been so frustrated with that he would punch a wall after his team just clinched the division and 2nd seed? It sounds like this young man has anger management issues.

 

I am 99% sure if some reporter asked that question he'd say "a personal/family issue", and that would be it. I don't think we need to know what's going on with these guys intimate family lives and inside their heads all the time.

 

It sucks. It was stupid. He absolutely shouldn't have done it, but it's happened, and we, and more importantly the team are gonna have to move on.

[sdcheezhd]

https://defector.com/its-not-what-you-want/

 

DEFECTOR UP ALL NIGHT

It’s Not What You Want

24Comments

 

DAVID ROTH

6:09 PM EDT on Sep 29, 2021

Brewers reliever Devin Williams, seen here pumping his fist after getting an out against the Marlins in April.

John Fisher/Getty Images

On Sunday, the Milwaukee Brewers clinched the National League Central and celebrated their victory, as is the custom, by getting loaded in the clubhouse. Champagne was sprayed and beer was drunk. It was the sort of party at which at least some people were wearing stirrup socks and a majority wore protective eyewear, which is to say the sort of party at which something stupid was more or less guaranteed to happen. These are the scenarios in which soused front office buttheads crow about acquiring creeps and people deliberately mess up Tim McCarver’s meticulously crafted hair. It is a baseball party, and as such the only rule is that it’s going to be dumb as hell.

 

 

In that sense, it is not entirely relief ace Devin Williams’s fault that he got frustrated at his own team’s victory celebration, punched a damn wall with his pitching hand, and broke his hand in the process. In this reading, something that dumb or dumber was just going to happen, and while it is unfortunate that the Brewers’ bullpen is now to be without one of its most effective contributors, this all transpired mostly because it was just Williams’s turn to become part of his sport’s storied heritage of party fouls. In another, more accurate sense, though, it is absolutely Devin Williams’s fault that he did that.

 

Thanks for your continued support of Defector. I am now going to attend a Mets/Marlins game, so who the hell am I to judge anyone else’s decisions?

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I mean he wasn't just an idiot drunk. He then tried to hide it from the team and even try to throw after the incident.

 

You can tell the Brewers are livid. For him to be doing that interview with Stearns (not Counsell) and the fact Stearns jumped in to clarify how he tried covering it up is pretty brutal. Getting treated like he is in kindergarten, but seems fitting.

 

Probably just in denial and hoping it was sore and he could cover it up and not talk about it. I wasn't assuming he had a drinking problem before, but that is hugely symptomatic of that kind of issue. Don't know if it's a bigger problem or just a younger guy that has some growing up to do. The way the club handled it seems more like the latter.

 

I don't think it necessarily means the Brewers are done with him though. Too good for MKE to cast off just because of this. Doesn't mean they won't either though. DS will do what's best for the team, I don't think he'll do something emotional.

[mtrebs]

 

Nobody here was ever close to being an integral part of a World Series run. No one here is being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to play that role.

 

I’ve never done anything that put my job in jeopardy because I got drunk, upset, and then punched a wall, breaking my hand, which is imperative for my job responsibilities. I’m guessing most of us are in the same position.

 

There are other equally stupid things people do that don't involve alcohol. Driving while texting is an easy one off the top of my head and it could result in far worse than what Devin Williams did. Are you claiming you've never done something stupid that could have cost you or someone else something very meaningful. Perhaps even more meaningful that sports? Are you claiming you're perfect? Or are you merely claiming that if you were a famous athlete that you would be perfect at all times? Either way, you're wrong.

 

The only thing worth discussing is what the Brewers will do to adjust. This judgement of Williams as a person and a teammate is gross and every bit as bad as Twitter.

 

You are discussing illegal activities, which are completely different than this situation. There’s nothing really similar that I could do as I don’t have a job that depends on my physical abilities. That’s what makes this such a big deal. His livelihood is professional sports, high relies on his physical abilities. Because of his selfish actions he essentially ended his season and put his team in a very bad position. You can’t compare this to real life. It’s about the worse thing a professional athlete can do that isn’t illegal.

 

And don’t bring up being perfect. No one said anything like that.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

What I'd love to know is what could he have been so frustrated with that he would punch a wall after his team just clinched the division and 2nd seed? It sounds like this young man has anger management issues.

 

Everyone who partied in college knew that one guy who would be great sloppy fun after 7 drinks and then start berating people and slamming things after 8. Then wake up and not even know he got mad the night before. Don't know if that's Devin Williams, but sometimes stuff like this really is as simple as he got really drunk beyond comprehension and punched a wall.

[Joseph Zarr]

Man, this just stinks. Couns will have to work some Magic. Guys will have to step up. Devin, just wow. He’s going to have a period of time to contemplate this One. You have to be reallly sauced and really agitated to go an do himself and the team like that. I hope he gets the care he needs in every facet.

[bucks2281]

What I'd love to know is what could he have been so frustrated with that he would punch a wall after his team just clinched the division and 2nd seed? It sounds like this young man has anger management issues.

 

I am 99% sure if some reporter asked that question he'd say "a personal/family issue", and that would be it. I don't think we need to know what's going on with these guys intimate family lives and inside their heads all the time.

 

It sucks. It was stupid. He absolutely shouldn't have done it, but it's happened, and we, and more importantly the team are gonna have to move on.

 

I think my frustration is that nobody even asks the follow up question. Guaranteed that gets asked in most other markets, regardless of whether we need to know the answer.

[Eye Black]

The fans could boo him. Great. What does that accomplish? We didn't even boo Ryan Braun after he ruined the 2012 season before it started.

Completely agree. Booing him seems silly, especially considering the context surrounding some of the players who haven’t been booed for things far more inexcusable than this. I’m frustrated with Devin and what he did was certainly incredibly dumb, but not to the point I’d ever consider booing him for something he’s admitted was a terrible mistake and didn’t physically harm anyone else. I do respect the fact they were so forthright with the details instead of trying to be purposely vague surrounding the whole thing.

[brooks_quichenick]

What a bummer. I was angry after hearing the news initially, now just sad. Not going to boo Devin because of it, he already feels plenty remorseful. I would wager that a number of the people on this board did something stupid while drinking in their 20’s, I know I did.

 

It is what it is, next man up.

[THarper3030]

Timing is just impeccable.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I don't get the big deal about booing him. Guys get booed all the time. If you're an angry fan, go ahead and boo. Who cares.

 

What does it accomplish? Probably as much as any other fan activity.

Edited September 30, 2021 by OldSchoolSnapper