Kyle Williams' father said Monday that his son had a left shoulder injury at the time of his fumbled overtime punt that directly led to the San Francisco 49ers' NFC Championship Game loss to the New York Giants, but he refused to blame it on any ailment.
On NFL Network
"NFL Replay" will re-air the
Giants' 20-17 win over the
49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Wednesday, Jan. 25
at 8 p.m. ET.
"He thinks he may have separated his shoulder in the third quarter," Chicago White Sox general manager Kenny Williams told ESPNChicago.com, adding that his son was undergoing treatment with the 49ers' training staff.
Niners coach Jim Harbaugh later said that tests on Kyle Williams' shoulder didn't reveal a separation, but he was extremely sore. Still, Williams brushed off the suggestion that the injury affected his play.
"Look, in football, everybody's going to be dinged up here and there," Williams said Monday, according to Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. "If what he (my father) said was saying that was the cause for any of the mistakes that were made, that's not it. I take full responsibility for the mistake I did make, and you got to play with what you got."
Williams was thrust into punt-return duties against the Giants with Ted Ginn Jr. inactive because of a knee injury sustained the previous week against the New Orleans Saints. Williams muffed another punt in the fourth quarter that led to a Giants touchdown, but on Monday, he maintained, "I still don't think (the ball) hit me."
Williams' two fumbles sparked a rash of hostile comments and death threats made by 49ers fans against the second-year pro. He said he didn't pay attention to the disparaging remarks, but his father was left questioning the culture of sports.
"I'm used to the years of criticism and threats on my life from time to time, but I have to hear about threats on your son's life while you're watching TV, and it certainly makes you question our culture of sports as it stands," Kenny Williams told ESPNChicago.com.
Williams said NFL security is taking all of the threats made against his son seriously.
"I told his mother on the way out exactly what was coming," Williams said. "That's the nature of the beast."
