The San Francisco 49ers were without star left tackle Trent Williams for a fourth-consecutive game when they took on the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.
That absence led to a pretty regrettable moment when Prime Video analyst Kirk Herbstreit misidentified another player on the 49ers sidelines as Williams.
Late in the first quarter, Herbstreit and play-by-play announcer Al Michaels began discussing the Niners’ offensive line woes as a camera found a non-dressed Black player with a big beard standing on the San Francisco sideline. As the camera lingered on the player, a graphic for Trent Williams, who is also Black and has a beard, appeared under him.
“There’s Trent Williams, who’s a big part of the grit of that offensive line,” said Herbstreit. “And they really miss him up front.”
As many NFL media members were quick to point out, that man was not, in fact, Trent Williams.
Ummmm Thursday night football, that black man is NOT Trent Williams.
I repeat, wrong black guy. @49ers pic.twitter.com/4NU8N8dVEp
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) December 13, 2024
The player pictured was Nesta Jade Silvera, a second-year defensive tackle who signed with San Francisco’s practice squad in October.
That is not a good look for both Herbstreit and Prime Video. While Kirk is sure to get the lion’s share of criticism, the segment was clearly cued up by the production team as they had already directed the camera to focus on Silvera and had the graphic ready. We have to imagine someone in that production truck is in a world of trouble right now.
Late in the second quarter, the broadcast eventually did find the real Trent Williams sitting in a suite.
We’ll see if Herbstreit or Prime Video makes any kind of statement during or after the game.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.