WATCH: Richard Sherman revisits the time when Trent Williams punched him in the face
Cornerback Richard Sherman looked back on the moment when he was punched by offensive lineman Trent Williams after a game back in 2013. In the most recent episode of his podcast, the cornerback discussed the incident, where he famously got hit in the face by current San Francisco 49ers left tackle Williams, who was then with the Washington Commanders. Here’s how the cornerback outlined the incident.
“During the game there’s a few back and forths between Trent and I and Chris Clemons and a few other guys… Trent apparently took exception… The rest is history, as I say. We had a conversation right after that consequently, a text and phone conversation and cooler minds prevailed and we’ve been friends ever since. But, you know, the clip still lives.”
Sherman was wearing a microphone during the game. Footage shows the cornerback first approach Washington defensive lineman Kedric Golston. The cornerback told Golston:
"Hell of a game, boy, way to work out."
Afterwards, Williams entered the frame, focusing on the Seahawks cornerback, and the following dialogue took place between the two:
Sherman:
"What you gon' do, boy?"
Williams:
"I'm gonna punch you in yo' (expletive) face."
Sherman:
"Go on and do it then, boy."
The incident came after the Seahawks defeated Washington in the Wild Card round of the 2012 playoffs at FedEx Field. Passions were high and the NFL fined Williams $7,875 for his role in the incident.
Seattle went on to lose to the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round that season in the playoffs.
Williams played nine seasons in Washington, making the Pro Bowl seven times and being a second-team All-Pro. He signed with the 49ers in 2020, where he’s made two more Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro last season.
Williams signed a six-year, $138,060,000 contract extension with San Francisco in March last year. The deal included a $30,100,000 signing bonus, $55.1 million guaranteed, and an average yearly salary of $23,010,000.
Richard Sherman and his NFL career
The cornerback played seven seasons with the Seahawks, where he was a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, and won a Super Bowl in the 2013 season with the team.
He joined the 49ers in March 2018, where he’d played three seasons (2018 - 2020) making his fifth Pro Bowl in the 2019 season with them. He and Williams became teammates in 2020.
Last season, the cornerback played three games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 34-year-old is currently a free agent.