The first half of the “Thursday Night Football” game between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers ended with a bit of tension. The 49ers are probably relieved it didn’t get worse.
Near the end of the second quarter, while the 49ers were having only 13 seconds left, their star left tackle, Trent Williams, got into a pushing match with Giants defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson. Both players received penalties for unnecessary roughness, and the half ended after one more play.
Upon reviewing the incident, it became clear that Williams had thrown a punch at Robinson’s face mask. Normally, such actions can lead to ejection from the game, but the officials either didn’t see it or didn’t think it was severe enough to kick out one of the NFL’s top offensive linemen. While Williams avoided ejection, the probability is that he will receive a fine from the NFL in the next coming week.
Did #49ers Trent Williams throw a punch here? if he did, that's supposed to be an ejection. pic.twitter.com/qLzqDq7LTT
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 22, 2023
This isn’t the first time Williams has been involved in such incidents. He was ejected and fined for throwing another player, K’Von Wallace of the Philadelphia Eagles, to the ground during last year’s NFC championship game. Additionally, there was a memorable incident in 2013 when he hit Richard Sherman, a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks (who happened to be present on Thursday as part of the Prime Video broadcast), after a playoff game, resulting in another fine.
Despite these incidents and a high temperament, Williams is a crucial player for the 49ers, particularly in protecting the quarterback’s blind side. In the first half of the game, the 49ers performed well, as expected, against the Giants, outgaining them significantly and taking a 17-6 lead. Williams is a highly decorated player with multiple Pro Bowl selections and recent All-Pro honors for the 49ers
