In every good football game, there are bad calls. This week however differed from the past. There was an objective bad call made by referee Tony Corentee. After a nice sack, Chicago linebacker Cassius Marsh did a small celebration with his teammates before turning to run off to his sideline. As he was running back, Corentee clearly pushed his hips back in an attempt to have Marsh run into him, and then threw a flag for taunting.
This is clearly a bad call as Marsh was simply trying to run back to his sideline and, in his words, the ref “hip checked” him. The flag was not thrown until after the linebacker ran into Corentee, and it seems as though that was the motivation to throw it.
For those that are arguing Marsh was taunting, the LB completely denies it. When asked in a post game conference if he had ever been flagged for that celebration before, he responded with a simple, “Nope.” Marsh seemed frustrated and upset in this media conference after the game, but also was hesitant when speaking out too much against the call, seemingly scared of the repercussions it might have for talking back against NFL officials. Marsh said, “ I don’t want to say too much because you guys know how it is”, alluding to the fact that he could get fined, or even suspended for speaking too much against the situation.
Cassius Marsh also made sure to speak on how if he were to touch a ref in any way, he would be ejected, and possibly suspended or fined. By saying this, it seems to call for a suspension or some kind of repercussion for the ref at fault. What will happen to him is unclear, but Bears fans are pushing for this as well.
Not only was it a bad call, but it happened in the fourth quarter of a close game, on third and 8. The Bears getting the ball back at this moment could have made a difference and potentially could have helped them win the game, especially because they only lost by 2 points.
This is just one play that has been piling up this season on top of questionable referee calls, many teams angry by the crackdown on taunting calls. After all, it is a competitive sport, people make millions off this game, so having a bit of a celebration should not cost a team or player their game.
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