Getty Image / Kevin Sabitus
Kirk Herbstreit is one of the best in the business. The longtime ESPN College Football analyst has recently added NFL duties, joining the Thursday Night Football booth on Amazon Prime last year.
Herbstreit made a very uncharacteristic mistake on Thursday night during the Los Angeles Rams-San Francisco 49ers game, misidentifying a 49er as injured superstar left tackle Trent Williams.
The San Francisco 49ers suffered a costly loss to the Rams, 12-6, in a game that featured no touchdowns. Their playoff odds are now under one percent, and it appears to be a lost season. Part of the reason why they’ve struggled is because of Trent Williams having injury issues.
Williams, a surefire future Hall of Famer, has missed four games in a row with an ankle injury. That’s a loss that has doomed their season, as they’re 1-3 in those three games.
To add insult to injury, Kirk Herbstreit forgot what he looked like. Take a look.
"There's Trent Williams, who's a big part of the grit of that offensive line." – Kirk Herbstreit
One tiny problem… that was, uh, not Trent Williams… 😬 pic.twitter.com/hHmRMI5D17
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 13, 2024
That is not Trent Williams. That is practice squad member Nesta Jade Silvera, who will not be going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Later in the game, they found the real Trent Williams.
They found the actual Trent Williams eventually… pic.twitter.com/yFj7LDtuQb
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 13, 2024
Of course, not all the blame is on Kirk Herbstreit. Production should’ve done a better job letting Kirk know who it was. But, ultimately, it’s on the guy who says the words. That’s just how the business works