Malcolm Henry
The Pittsburgh Steelers have now won four straight games, conversely the Chicago Bears are going in the opposite direction with four Ls after their game on Monday Night Football.
The official tally says the Steelers won this game, 29-27, getting the winning points on a 40-yard Chris Boswell field goal with 0:26 left — it did not impact the line, the Bears and the over hit… but that’s not the story.
The story is that the refs thought people came out to watch them throw flags.
Tony Corrente was the referee for this game. He does have some credentials: he’s one of the most decorated and respected officials… he as been the referee for Super Bowl XLI in 2006 and called plenty AFC and NFC championship games.
Corrente was the referee for this game. And he looked like he was a Fiji ref calling a Fiji flag football game. Fvck, that dude was making sure the Steelers won this one.
Corrente and his team made sure they were they story of this game. The zebras called a total of 17 penalties for 145 yards — 12 of those for 115 yards on the Bears.
Now, listen, there were penalties … it was not a clean game … but the there were penalties that changed the course of the game.
The most fvcking ridiculous of these came on a taunting penalty call on Bears linebacker Cassius Marsh after he sacked Roethlisberger on a third-and-8 play, ending a Steelers drive.
To the tape:
Marsh celebrated the sack by doing some sort of martial arts jump spinny kick thing — that apparently he does after every sack — and he then walking toward the Steelers sideline where he spent last season before he was cut in the preseason.
Marsh stared at the sideline for a couple of seconds. Marsh didn’t say a single word. Marsh then jogged back to his sideline … but not before Corrente got involved by throwing a hip check into Marsh, then tossing his flag like he was Steph Curry hitting a game winning three.
To the tape, AGAIN:
Corrente was so proud of himself as he called that 15-yard taunting penalty on Marsh, which extended the drive and eventually led to a Steelers field goal.
He was asked about after the game.
Corrente said Marsh was called for taunting because, “I saw the player, after he made a big play, run toward the bench area of the Pittsburgh Steelers and posture in such a way that I felt he was taunting them.”
First: Marsh was outside the hashmark, so he still like 15 fvcking yards from the Steelers’ bench.
Secondly: Marsh didn’t do anything beyond looking at his former Steelers teammates really, really hard. I mean… go push play again, that stare was meeeeeeean… or something…
Third: Corrente responded to what he saw by hip checking Marsh as he trotted off the field.
Fvck this, you Fiji ass ref.
