When you watched USC quarterback Caleb Williams cry, what did you see?

Did you see a human being? Expressing real human emotions? Did you see someone in the moments after a brutal loss to Washington? Vulnerable and open? Did you see someone who cares deeply about his job? Who bleeds it? Who internalizes it? Who puts the team on his shoulders every week and wants to desperately win? Every player wants to win but some take losing so personally that when it happens it actually causes pain. Did you see any of that?

Or, did you see something else, namely, someone that's soft? A baby who fell into his mom's arms when things went bad? Did you look down your nose at him? Did you think you'd never cry in that situation? You didn't cry when you were the third string fullback in high school and by golly you'd never cry now. Did you think any of that as you watched Williams?

If you're the former, you're the kind of person I want in my life, because you're a fully functioning human being.

If you're the latter, it's time to join the 21st century, where men are allowed to show their emotions without being viewed as weak.

Robert Griffin III saw Williams and saw the USC player the way he should be viewed: it's good for men to show emotion. It's healthy. Even in a violent sport like football.

"Watching Caleb Williams sobbing with his family after losing the game will BREAK YOUR HEART," Griffin, a former Heisman Trophy winner, and the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2012, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "This young man pours his heart out for his team EVERY TIME he plays. Any NFL team would be lucky to have him as their QB and this emotion shows how much this game means to him.

"When you pour your all into something and it doesn’t go the way you planned, it hurts. Caleb Williams has a bright future and this type of emotion is the realest moment of his career yet."

Griffin gets it. Robert Mathis, who made five Pro Bowls and played on a Super Bowl team in 2006, doesn't. He responded to Griffin’s comment.

"Sorry @RGIII (all love lil bro) but I gotta chalk this one up in the soft category," Mathis posted. "He ran and jumped in stance to his mommy and cried. I always tell players ‘I’ll never lie to em’ and this is not the look you want from your trigger man."

The comment from Mathis is important to note because I promise you, he's far from the only one in the football universe to believe this. There's no question that during the upcoming draft process, some scout or team executive will ask Williams about his outburst, and some team will use it against him. There will be leaks about how his stock is falling because of his crying. It'll be called "The Caleb Tear Drop."

It's a lock this will happen because that's how ridiculous the NFL is.

Anyone who sees Williams as soft is wrong because we're no longer in the 1950s. It's not only a sign of emotional maturity to express emotion, but also the opposite of what Mathis says. It's a sign of a good leader.

Also, many younger players don't have a problem with expressing emotion. It's normal for them. They don't care.

"I want to go home and cuddle with my dog and watch some shows," Williams said after the contest. "Like, we lost the game. I work hard throughout months, years to have big games like this, try and go win and play your best, each and every one of us. We came out with a loss today, so emotionally I want to go home and I want to play with my dog."

That's honest. That's real. How could anyone have a problem with that?

There's someone that maybe people like Mathis should listen to. His name is Rosey Grier and like Mathis he played in the NFL and also like Mathis, he played on the defensive line. Grier played from 1955-1966 which is one of the more brutal periods in league history. He's 6 foot 5 and his playing weight was around 280 pounds.

How tough was Grier? He was part of the Los Angeles Rams' Fearsome Foursome defensive line, maybe the best line ever. It featured Deacon Jones, who was Reggie White before Reggie White. They were absolutely brutal and you know what? Grier once sang a song about how it's alright to cry.

So, when you watched Caleb Williams cry, what did you see?

If you saw anything other than a human being consoled by his family, well, I'm sorry. Can't help you. But I can point you to the nearest mirror where you should take a nice, long look at yourself.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When Caleb Williams cried, what did you see? There's only one answer.