The San Francisco 49ers were elated. They entered the playoffs as a Wild Card team and had just knocked off the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys on their home turf. As tackle Trent Williams walked off the field at AT&T Stadium, he noticed two Cowboys fans gesturing at him, and they weren't gestures of congratulations.
All Williams thought to do was point and laugh. Photographer Cooper Neill captured the moment.
This photo of Trent Williams and Cowboys fans should be in the Hall of Fame 😭😭
📸 @CooperNeill pic.twitter.com/7RzyjgRzEa
— PFF (@PFF) January 18, 2022
The 49ers and Cowboys will meet again on Sunday, this time for the right to advance to the NFC Championship Game. On Thursday, Williams was asked about that now-infamous photo.
"I was happy," Williams said of that moment. "I just got my first playoff victory. I was looking for my family in the stands, and I was getting ready to walk off when I seen two dudes, seeing the bird flying.
"I just thought it was pretty funny that they would care that much to just sit there and wait, throwing the finger. So I pointed it out, started laughing. Obviously, I wanted to not humiliate them but just kind of highlight the behavior."
How did the two fans react?
"I don't know if they were really upset, but they were still throwing the finger and laughing," Williams responded.
One teammate who appreciated Williams' response to the Cowboys fans is tight end George Kittle.
"It's fantastic," Kittle said of the photo. "Honestly, it's great for Trent Williams to keep his composure, and honestly, that was the best reaction possible, just laughing in their faces. I love that, and I know that the Cowboys have probably seen that too, and they're going to use that as motivation, and I can't wait to play football on Sunday."