Tag: Cassius Marsh

Report: NFL fully backs taunting call against Bears’ Cassius Marsh

The NFL is standing by Tony Corrente’s taunting call against Bears OLB Cassius Marsh.

The NFL world has been reacting to the abomination that was the officiating in Monday night’s game between the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, particularly how the Bears got the short end of the stick with a slew of questionable calls and no calls.

But just when you think the officiating couldn’t get worse, the NFL apparently has defended one of the most egregious calls of the night — the questionable taunting call on outside linebacker Cassius Marsh.

“The call was the definition of taunting, with the player gesturing toward the sideline and opponent,” a source told The Washington Post‘s Mark Maske.

Let the video do the talking:

There was no gesturing, no taunting involved. Should Marsh have walked toward the Steelers sideline? No. But he also didn’t do anything that would indicate taunting.

Marsh also indicated that official Tony Corrente intentionally hip-checked him before throwing the flag for taunting. According to Maske, the source said the NFL doesn’t consider the allegation legitimate.

No matter how you look at it, Corrente’s crew was responsible for one of the worst officiated games in recent memory. And even though the NFL is choosing to back one of their own, it doesn’t mean it’s the right call.

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Referee Tony Corrente attempts to explain questionable taunting flag on Bears OLB Cassius Marsh

Tony Corrente explained the questionable taunting penalty of Bears OLB Cassius Marsh.

The Chicago Bears lost a heartbreaker to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football, where poor officiating was the storyline of the game.

There were a number of questionable calls against the Bears — who had 12 accepted penalties for 115 yards — but arguably none more puzzling than a phantom taunting call on outside linebacker Cassius Marsh, which led to a Steelers field goal and ultimately decided the game.

Marsh, the former Steeler, sacked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger late in the fourth quarter. He appeared to walk toward the Steelers sideline before turning around and jogging back to the Bears sideline, and he was called for taunting, a call that the entire NFL world was puzzled by.

Official Tony Corrente, who is going to come under a lot of criticism following his unit’s horrid performance, attempted to explain himself.

“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,” Corrente told Adam Hoge.

When you watch the replay of when Marsh jogged back to the Bears sideline, Corrente appears to hip check Marsh — which Marsh called “inappropriate” — and then proceeded to throw the flag. Corrente denied that the contact contributed to the penalty being called.

“No, not at all,” he said. “I didn’t judge that as anything that I dealt with.”

Really? Because the flag was thrown right after Corrente appeared to hip checked Marsh.

“That had nothing to do with it,” Corrente reiterated. “It was the taunting aspect.”

The new taunting rule has been a controversial one since its implementation in Week 1, and it’s reasons like this — which ultimately gifted the Steelers a field goal and cost the Bears a potential win — why this rule should fall by the wayside after this season.

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Bears’ Cassius Marsh claims he was hip-checked by ref Tony Corrente and he might have a case

What the heck happened here?

Chicago Bears linebacker Cassius Marsh was at the center of another absolutely absurd NFL taunting call when he was whistled for celebrating a sack of Ben Roethlisberger in Monday’s 29-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But there was also a bizarre moment in which he and referee Tony Corrente made contact as Marsh was running off the field … and to many, it looked like Corrente initiated contact with a hip-check of sorts.

That was the case to Marsh. While speaking to reporters after the game, he said as much.

Let’s break down the play, Marsh’s quotes and the reaction to it:

Bears’ Cassius Marsh says Tony Corrente ‘hip checked’ him on questionable taunting call

Cassius Marsh addressed questionable taunting penalty, called Tony Corrente’s hip check ‘inappropriate.’

The poor officiating was the biggest storyline to come out of the Bears’ 29-27 loss to the Steelers on Monday Night Football.

Chicago registered 12 accepted penalties for 115 yards, and there were plenty of questionable calls and no-calls that left NFL fans perplexed about how one-sided the officiating was at Heinz Field.

There were plenty of questionable calls throughout the game, but the most egregious was the taunting call on Bears outside linebacker Cassius Marsh following his sack in the fourth quarter that set up a Steelers field goal, which ended up being the difference in the game.

Marsh, a former Steeler, was flagged for taunting following the sack when he looked toward the Pittsburgh sideline, even though the camera showed he clearly wasn’t taunting.

“I think that one was just bad timing,” Marsh said. “It’s pretty clear to everybody who saw it that I wasn’t taunting. I’ve been doing the celebration my whole career. It’s just sad to see stuff like that happen in a close game like that.”

There was one thing in particular that’s caught everyone’s eye when Marsh was jogging back to the Bears sideline and there was contact with official Tony Corrente, which prompted him to throw the flag.

Marsh said that Corrente “hip checked” him, and that a player would get ejected for initiating contact. But he didn’t.

“I just think that was incredibly inappropriate,” Marsh said.

It was another strike against the most controversial new penalty this season, especially given it ultimately cost the Bears a potential win.

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Former Patriots LB Cassius Marsh takes swipe at ‘boring’ team meetings

Cassius Marsh took aim at have a the New England Patriots ran their team meetings,

Former New England Patriots linebacker Cassius Marsh has taken aim at the organization in recent months, sharing his distaste for Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. He indicated on Monday that the Patriots team meetings were not ones full of fun.

Speaking on Tom Segura’s podcast, Marsh took aim at how the team meetings were being run, saying that Belichick does most of the talking. Evidently, Belichick tends to cover a lot during his team meetings, and does not skimp on the details for the opposing teams.

Marsh indicated that he did not enjoy listening to Belichick speak, although he did say that Belichick was an intelligent coach.

“Dude, OK. So [laughing]. Yo, so, imagine like, oh man … imagine you’re working like a 9 to 5, and like, everybody’s at like a team meeting, right? And it’s almost in like a school assembly, OK? And the dude who walks in is like the CEO and he’s like an old dude who you know just plays no games. So like when he walks in, it’s dead quiet. Like … everything stops. All phones get put away. All laughter, any type of little chit-chat, done. K? Nobody plays around with Bill. I mean … nobody plays with Bill for the most part,” Marsh said.

“So he walks in there and then he comes up to like a podium and he addresses the team for like 45 minutes to an hour every morning. He talks about the GM’s history, talks about the team’s history, talks about defensive, offensive coordinator’s history, the way that they used to run their defense, the way that they run their defense now, the history of all of the coaches.”

Evidently, Marsh still holds a very strong grudge against Belichick. Perhaps even more evident, he is not afraid to deliver a soundbite or two.

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Deion Branch gives candid response to Cassius Marsh’s new criticisms of Patriots

Deion Branch responded to bold claims made by Cassius Marsh this week.

In light of linebacker Cassius Marsh’s comments about his time in New England, several Patriots players past and present have begun to respond. One of them was wide receiver Deion Branch.

Branch enjoyed a productive career with New England, one that saw him make two stops with the Patriots. He was drafted by New England in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft, and played with the organization from 2002-2005. He then was traded back to New England in 2010 for a fourth-round selection in the 2011 draft.

Branch had a thoughtful answer when asked about the comments on NBC Sports Boston’s Early Edition.

“New England isn’t for every player,” Branch said Tuesday on “Early Edition,” as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston. “New England is not the place you want to go and think you’re just gonna play first and you do your work later. No, it’s you work first and then we play. As far as playing the game in New England, I do not agree with him on that. I never had a situation where I felt myself or any of my former teammates felt like they were mistreated.”

With New England looking to contend in a crowded AFC East, the Patriots will certainly be working hard to prepare for the upcoming season.

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Cassius Marsh has strong opinions on how the Patriots treat their players

He continues to paint the Patriots in a bad light.

The lifestyle of a player or coach in the New England Patriots organization isn’t exactly for everyone. We’ve always heard about their regimented days and strict off-field policies, so it’s no surprise when someone has an issue with the way they run things.

Former Patriots edge defender Cassius Marsh has a history of expressing negative opinions about the Patriots and has even called himself one of the most-hated former Patriots of all time.

In an appearance on “2 Bears 1 Cave,” a podcast hosted by comedians Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer, Marsh opened up about his time in New England and the famed “Patriot Way” that is discussed frequently.

“The Patriot Way is extremely impressive,” Marsh said. “They work day-in and day-out. Their work ethic over there, what they instill, is pretty legendary. But they also treat players like crap. You don’t have a lunch period. You get there and you have to make time to eat in between meetings. And they’re like five to 10 minute periods where I would literally go scoop food and put it in a cup and crush it real quick before I got to the next meeting. There’s no fun. There’s no — well, that is what I got in trouble for, for saying they don’t have fun.”

These are some pretty harsh accusations coming from Marsh. Telling the world that a team “treats players like crap” is announcing to the NFL world that players shouldn’t play for them.

Some will argue that the sacrifice of “fun” has led to the team’s success that the Patriots have had in winning six Super Bowls since Bill Belichick came into his head coach role in 2000.

Marsh, who was with the team for three months in 2017 never got to enjoy the spoils of winning a Super Bowl in New England, so that may play a factor in how he views the organization.

Either way, there will surely be plenty of current and former Patriots who will weigh in on Marsh’s comments, as he throws another shot at the organization.

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Former Jaguar blasts previous coaching staff’s ‘speeches’

According to Cassius March, an unnamed coach (likely Doug Marrone) failed to properly motivate players in the locker room.

Seeing as Jacksonville finished the 2020 season with a 1-15 record, it wouldn’t be surprising if the previous coaching staff lost the locker room at times. And according to comments made by linebacker Cassius Marsh, who spent the first four games of the season with the Jaguars, that’s exactly what happened.

The current Pittsburgh Steeler told comedian Tom Segura on the “2 Bears, 1 Cave” podcast that an “unnamed coach” failed to give motivating speeches. Based on his comments, it’s fairly clear that he’s referring to former head coach Doug Marrone.

“You know what is really bad, though? When you have a head coach that is just awful at speeches. It is — oh it is tough. It’s tough,” Marsh said, according to quotes transcribed by John Shipley of Jaguar Report. “I’ll just say, you know, I spent a little time with the Jaguars this last season. And I won’t say what position this coach held, but it was a pretty high level, you know what I mean? … And he was god awful.

“It was just a lot of cussing. It was a lot of cussing and it was like the most plain, like just no, there is no depth behind. There is no like — you know what though? This particular coach, and mind you, one of the guys, I don’t know, he was an offensive lineman back in the day. So I think that might have something to do with it.”

It seems like Marsh may have accidentally let it slip that he was referring to his former head coach, but it’s fairly obvious that he’s talking about Marrone, a former collegiate and NFL offensive lineman.

Not only were the speeches not motivating, but Marsh even said they could have the opposite effect.

“It just wasn’t good man,” he said. “It just kind of like brought like — If you were hyped up and ready to go, like, he might have brought your level down a little bit.”

Marrone found initial success in Jacksonville, leading the team to its first AFC South title and a conference championship game in 2017, but in the three years since, he compiled just a 12-36 record. Jacksonville will hope for more success from new hire Urban Meyer, who has never coached at the NFL but won three national championships at Florida and Ohio State as a college coach.

NFL linebacker opens fantasy card games business outside Los Angeles

Pittsburgh Steelers LB Cassius Marsh has opened a fantasy-game card shop in his native Southern California

Cassius Marsh has made a number of stops in his NFL career. The current Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker and former UCLA Bruins linebacker is planning for his future by opening a business in the present.

Marsh, who has been playing since he was 11, opened a fantasy card game shop, Cash Cards Unlimited, in Westlake Village, Ca. Think Magic: the Gathering.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CL90oVNgBVy/

Watch as they stock the store for its grand opening, which took place last weekend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCZ8kRK4G_U

Ive been collecting pretty heavy for the past few years in anticipation for this moment!! Opening up my very first Brick & Mortar card shop with my best friend Nick! Watch us crack every case I own for the shops inventory!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CL3EJWGlg7b/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKudPTKAcqh/

Marsh also collects and sells collectible sports cards. Some of those in his possession go for more than five figures.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLauOYPA0EA/

“The market for trading cards is going crazy right now, even though the pandemic is going on….,” Marsh told Gamerant.com. “But we’re also focusing on the virtual side of our business right now. We do live breaks, which are a ton of fun. We’re getting to interact with our community and getting to know each other.”

He explained the role Magic: The Gathering played in his life when he was with the San Francisco 49ers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYGA4W_jwoE

https://twitter.com/KingCash_7191/status/1366506649834250240?s=20

In 2016, Marsh has some of his best cards stolen when he was with the Seahawks and the story went viral.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfb0v0eAXGU

SI.com recently did a feature story on Marsh and his passion. To read it, click here.

Meet the NFL linebacker turning his love of Magic: The Gathering into a business

Cassius Marsh is hoping to continue his NFL career while opening a new card shop.

Looking at Cassius Marsh, you might not immediately guess that he’s a self-described “big-time nerd,” one who’s turning his deep love of a fantasy card game into a business in California.

The free-agent NFL linebacker who spent 2020 with three teams — the Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers — is also a die-hard collector and player of Magic: The Gathering, the card game from Wizards of the Coast that took the world by storm in the late 1990s and has exploded in popularity in the past decade or so. Not only can you play a game in which you use your creatures, spells and such to defeat your opponent, but the rare cards themselves are selling for a lot of money.

This week, his new card and collectables shop — Cash Cards Unlimited — in Westlake Village will open. And as he told For The Win in a recent interview, he’s hoping to not only make money on his passion but to also inspire others to be who they are.

Here’s what he told us. (this interview has been edited and condensed.)

How did you get into Magic in the first place?

I’ve always been into trading card games. I was huge into Pokemon. I grew up relatively poor, so whatever I could get, I just loved so much. So Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh is how I started it off. I wandered into a trading card shop called A Hidden Fortress in Simi Valley where I grew up. I asked if they had any Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh and was told, “We don’t sell those, but we sell Magic: The Gathering. There are two guys over there at the table playing.”

I watched those guys play the entire time, and I ran to beg my mom for as much money as I could get. I think she gave me $5. They had common cards for a quarter, uncommons for 50 cents and rare for $1. I bought 11 cards and that sparked my love for Magic. It took over my trading card obsession.

As someone who played Magic a lot around 1995, I totally get it, but for you, what is it about the game that draws you to it?

First and foremost, the art on the cards is unbelievable. It’s so awesome and mesmerizing. And it’s fantasy, there are so many different types of creatures and abilities and depth to the game. The competition behind it was a big thing for me. As an athlete, I thrive in that atmosphere. I think early on it was rough because I wasn’t winning many games and I had to learn to accept defeat. It taught me patience and humility.

When I left for college [at UCLA], I put it to the side for a while. I didn’t think anybody would be playing and I didn’t think I’d have any time for it.

Were you worried you’d be an outcast if you were the football player who was into Magic?

I was a little bit closeted when it came to the nerd stuff. My friends knew I loved Anime and I had no shame when it came to that. But I didn’t think anybody would care to join or care in general. I probably felt like I would be judged in some way for sure. There were so many other things to do at college. I had to take my football career more seriously, there were social events … I wanted to prioritize my college experience. But the first month I was there, I stumbled on a bunch of people playing in the dorms. I was bummed I gave away what little collection I had.

I know this is a stretch, but is there any connection at all between football and Magic?

You could draw a comparison to deck building and watching film. You build a deck, you try it out, you play it against other decks, and you get your final product. When you start a week of practice, you watch film on your day off, you study how they played the week before, you study tendencies, you watch their play action, you start to develop game plan, and by the time you get to game day, you have a complete plan for how you want to attack the team. I think from a studying standpoint, it did help. It gave me the ability to sit down and organize my thoughts.

When you did pick Magic back up again, did you feel like you got back something you were missing deeply?

I did. I knew I needed a hobby [after I got drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2014]. I was driving down Melrose with my girlfriend at the time and we rolled past a trading card shop. I went inside, and as soon as I saw the cards, I was getting back into it. I found a card shop where I was comfortable. No one really knew, I wasn’t telling people about it.

‘Nerd for sure’ Seahawks DE begs robbers to return stolen $20K ‘Magic: The Gathering’ collection

In 2016, I got my cards stolen. My girlfriend took my SUV to the club with her friends. Everybody’s cars got hit that night and someone stole my two backpacks, one had my decks in it. It was $20,000 worth of cards at the time – now, more like $40,000 worth. I did the tweet and the story blew up. Wizards of the Coast [the Washington-based creator of MTG] came to the facility and gave me a bunch of booster boxes and we developed a relationship. It was kind of a blessing in disguise. My girlfriend, now fiancée, likes to take credit for that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfb0v0eAXGU

One of my goals with this shop and in general is to be the poster boy for Magic: The Gathering and show kids how cool this game is and show them it’s dope, nothing to be ashamed of or hide from your friends. I’ve had parents and kids reach out to me and thank me, which is just crazy. I’m just being myself.

That’s something I wondered about – in NFL locker rooms, is the reaction, “What’s the deal with Cassius?”

Some guys are interested. I would say I’m not the typical guy or athlete in general, my appearance can fool a lot of people. There’s a lot to me. I’m an entrepreneur, I’m a big-time nerd, I love the game of football. I look a little bit intimidating, people have told me. Once they get to know me and see my Instagram, they’re curious.

I’ve had guys ask about it. I gave Joe Staley a booster box when I was with the 49ers, I gave Taven Bryan some stuff, my guy Doug Baldwin, we’ve played some games together. There’s been some curiosity in the locker room.

You never felt like the weirdo in the room? Or did you feel your football did all the talking you needed to do?

I think if I ended up being an [expletive] player or if I wasn’t performing while posting about Magic, I think guys in the locker room might not like that. I work hard, I’m a good teammate and locker room guy, so I think they grew to respect that I was doing what I loved, regardless of what people thought. A lot of people respected it and the business behind it.

Tell me about the shop. Is this the plan going forward or are you still going to play this season?

I’ll be playing this season, I’m looking to re-sign with the Steelers and continue my football career. I want to play for as long as it makes sense. This project, it’s a business for sure. I had always planned to do this, it came to fruition a little sooner than expected because of what the market is doing right now and opportunity coming my way. It’s something I’m setting up for when I’m done playing.

https://youtu.be/e2ocoIZSIyY