Cassius Marsh on Monday night became the latest victim of the NFL’s bogus taunting rule.
Marsh, who was making his Bears debut in prime time at Heinz Field, came up clutch for Chicago with less than four minutes to go in the fourth quarter. The journeyman linebacker sacked Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on third-an-8 and celebrated with a spinning kick.
The seventh-year pro, who was released by Pittsburgh in late August, then took a few steps toward the Steelers’ sideline and stared down his former team. As Marsh left the field, he was penalized for taunting, which gave Pittsburgh a first down. The home team capitalized on the favorable call, kicking a field goal to extend its lead to 26-20. The Steelers went on to claim a 29-27 win to wrap up Week 9.
Speaking with the media after the game, Marsh weighed in on the controversial infraction.
“I think that that one was just bad timing,” Marsh told reporters, per Pro Football Talk. “I think it was pretty clear to everybody who saw it that I wasn’t taunting. I’ve been doing that celebration my whole career and it’s just sad to see stuff like that happen in a close game like that. It’s just rough, man.”
Marsh, the Bears and their fans have every right to be miffed about the call. New England Patriots supporters, however, definitely got a kick out of things not going the ‘backer’s way.
