49ers’ Trent Williams finally explains legendary Cowboys fans photo
Trent #Trent
Somehow, the ending of last year’s 49ers-Cowboys wild-card game produced not one but two iconically funny moments. The first one was there for everyone to see on TV as Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy authored a rock-stupid final play. The second was immortalized by photographer Cooper Neill, who captured Niners tackle Trent Williams pointing and laughing at enraged Cowboys fans. In the above photo, you can see one ‘Boys fan flipping off Williams; in other frames, you can see a second bird flying out of the cage.
Until Thursday, Williams had never been asked about it. “I was getting ready to walk out, just seeing two dudes — I seen the birds flying,” Williams said. “I just thought it was pretty funny that they cared that much to sit there and wait. … I just pointed out and started laughing. I wanted to — not humiliate them, but highlight their behavior,” he added. “I don’t know if they were really upset,” he said when asked how they reacted. “But they were still throwing the finger and laughing. Maybe a mixture of both.”
In an interview with SFGATE a year and a day ago, Neill said he was surprised that the photo got so much play. “At the time I didn’t think much of it,” Neill said. “I saw the Cowboys fans flipping him off, but Trent was so unfazed by it. It was such a funny moment. Whenever you have angry fans this close to players it can turn into a bad situation, but Trent had just the most incredible response ever and literally points and laughs at them and keeps moving. And then he went into the locker room.”
Tight end George Kittle, always happy to weigh in, had a similar reaction Thursday. “It’s fantastic,” he said. “It’s great for Trent Williams to keep his composure. Honestly, that was the best reaction possible: Just laughing in their faces.”
Cowboys fans have experienced plenty of brutal playoff losses in recent years, whether it’s LeBron’s first-round ass-kicking at the hands of the Suns or the Yankees’ inability to get past the Astros. Nothing encapsulates the experience better than a 6-foot-5-inch, 320-pound All-Pro cackling in their faces.