49ers WR Kyle Williams receives Tweeted death threat

Twitter has been used to report breaking news from disasters, protests, and more, but it’s sad to see it used in the following manner: San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kyle Williams received a Tweeted death threat after fumbling a punt in the 49ers’ 20-17 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, Jan. 22.

The fumble occurred in overtime when Williams fielded a punt inside the 49ers 20 and took off, only to see the ball stripped by the Giants’ Jacquian Williams, giving the Giants the ball at the 49ers’ 24. A few plays later, the Giants’ Lawrence Tynes kicked a 31-yard field goal, and the 49ers lost the NFC championship game to the New York Giants 20-17.

 

Imagine how Williams felt, as he already muffed an earlier punt in the game, early in the fourth quarter.  That muff gave the Giants the ball deep in 49er territory; they scored to take a 17-14 lead, which the 49ers later tied to put the game into OT.

Imagine how Kyle Williams felt when he went home, checked Twitter, and saw the above Tweet from Javier Pasquel, which said “@KyleWilliams_10. I hope you, youre (sic) wife, kids and family die, you deserve it.”

Indeed, Kyle Williams cost the 49ers ten points, and the game. But if you really want to blame someone blame the doctors, or the injury bug. Williams would not have been in that position — punt returner — if their regular return man Ted Ginn, Jr. wasn’t injured.

It’s not as though the rest of 49ers WR corps lit up the stadium on Sunday. Only one WR — Michael Crabtree — had a catch. And their WR corps was really light on Sunday, as well, with Ginn, Jr., and Josh Morgan out with injuries, and after the 49ers released Braylon Edwards, earlier.

Williams may be receiving Twitter death threats, but he’s receiving encouragement from his team. QB Alex Smith, himself a focal point for 49er fan disdain over the years, said, “We all know him. We know how committed he is to winning. It’s not on him. I look at the 1-for-13 on third downs. I know he’s going to feel bad, but he’s still part of our team. We didn’t lose the game there. We lost it across the board offensively. We just couldn’t get it done.”

Star LB Patrick Willis added, “I told him we’re all in this together. I believe in him. If I had a do-over, he’d still be my guy back there. He’s a tremendous athlete.”

The Tweet is still live on Twitter, and so is the account. For those into technology, Pasquel used Twitter for BlackBerry, meaning he’s using that dying platform. ‘Nuff said?