Chicago Bears linebacker Cassius Marsh accused NFL official Tony Corrente of hip-checking him moments before Corrente called a controversial taunting penalty on Marsh during the fourth quarter of the team's 29-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.
The incident occurred after Marsh sacked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on a third-and-long, with the Steelers leading 23-20 at the 3:49 mark. Marsh did a spinning jump-kick in celebration, took steps toward Pittsburgh's sideline, and then jogged back over to Chicago's side of the field. Video replay shows Corrente reaching for his flag and initiating contact with Marsh before making the call. As a result, Pittsburgh's drive continued and ended with a field goal.
"That's the problem with this new emphasis on taunting penalties. It's leaving interpretation as the primary factor to whether or not there's going to be flags thrown," Tiki Barber said during Tuesday's edition of the Tiki and Tierney show. "You know what, if this is in the second quarter, the third quarter, who cares, right? We probably don't even think about it. It's in the fourth quarter, and this is the most critical stop, the most critical moment of the game for the Bears...
"At the end of the day, something that absolutely had nothing to do with football players playing football determined the Steelers winning this game and the Bears losing it. They still had to go down, score, do everything else. But still, that moment changed the complexion of the game for the Bears. Because they had momentum... This was just a horrible, horrible look."
Corrente addressed the penalty to a pool reporter, explaining that taunting is "a point of emphasis this year" and he believed Marsh's posture and action toward Pittsburgh's sideline warranted the flag. Corrente also mentioned that his brief contact with Marsh had nothing to do with the penalty.
If Corrente swallowed the whistle and held onto his flag, Pittsburgh would've been forced to punt on fourth down near midfield. Of course, at the moment, Chicago had a real opportunity to either tie the game with a field goal or take the lead with a touchdown. Following that Steelers' drive, the Bears actually orchestrated a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, and took a 27-26 lead.
Chicago (3-6), which enters its bye on a four-game losing skid, will host the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) in a Week 11 matchup on Sunday, Nov. 21. According to FiveThirtyEight, the Bears are projected to finish the regular season with a 6-11 record.
Tiki and Tierney's complete thoughts on the Marsh-Corrente incident can be accessed in the audio player above.
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