What did Tony Corrente do? NFL referee gets slammed by fans and players during Bears vs Steelers
NFL referee Tony Corrente is currently in some hot water. NFL officiating is usually a point of contention when it comes to fans and teams alike.
There have been plenty of blown calls or calls that don't quite make sense that send the entire football-loving world into a frenzy.
That was the case for last night's contest when the Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Chicago Bears.
A very costly penalty for "taunting" allowed the Steelers to retain possession in a crucial fourth-quarter moment. Many are saying that the penalty changed the entire face of the game, and that is the reason the Steelers won.
Will Tony Corrente be investigated further?
The enforcement of taunting penalties this season has been a bit of a mess for the entire 2021 season. Players who engage in any kind of celebration are now often flagged and/or fined for their behavior.
There seems to be no consensus within the officiating crew with what constitutes an actual taunting call.
Referee Tony Corrente to pool reporter @AdamHoge on why he threw a late taunting flag on Chicago’s Cassius Marsh: “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.” https://t.co/KJH5ubgh9B
What made the entire situation worse last night is that it appeared that Tony Corrente attempted to "hip-check" Cassius Marsh, and then he threw the flag after the contact was made with the player. Many are calling Corrente's behavior into question, as his explanation for why the taunting call was made after this bizarre interaction happened.
Corrente merely explained that he saw Marsh heading to the sidelines of the Steelers to potentially "taunt" the team, which is why he threw the flag. Although this is a judgment call, the flag was only thrown after contact was made with Marsh, not immediately after Marsh was heading towards the Steelers sideline.
Corrente now has to explain himself further, but his explanation seems to be even odder than the actual occurrence.
Tony Corrente leaned into the contact and then held his flag toss like a walk off three pointer. What a joke https://t.co/MhNlNVewJx
The NFL usually does its due diligence when it comes to officiating, and that's to say when enough people are upset about the call, the NFL will look further into the situation.
Regardless of how anyone seems to feel about the taunting penalty, there is plenty of video evidence to show Corrente making contact with Marsh, and then throwing a flag. Marsh was attempting to head to the Bears sideline when it appeared that Corrente got in the way of Marsh by giving him a "hip check."
The entire situation regarding Tony Corrente needs to be reviewed. If a player's behavior can be reviewed and fined, even after a game has concluded, then the same rules should be applied to the officiating crew.
Corrente will have a lot to answer for if he is shown to have caused this penalty.
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