This Sunday, the Eagles got dealt the worst possible hand with referee Tony Corrente calling their game against the Washington Football Team. If you recognize this name, it’s because Corrente is the face of the most uncalled for and controversial penalty of the season.

Earlier this season, Corrente leaned into a Chicago Bears’ player running off the field, and then called him for a taunting penalty late in the fourth quarter. The 70-year-old is by far the worst referee in the business, with many calling him out for his vindictive and unjust calls. 

According to Chris Simms, when he was a player, Simms got hit late and complained about the lack of a penalty. Corrente took this criticism personally, and on numerous occasions, started the play clock earlier than usual, putting Simms at a disadvantage.

“Are you going to apologize for what you said earlier? I didn’t want to be ripped off by him for the rest of the game and not have him call other penalties, so I went, ‘I’m sorry about that,’ and he went, ‘OK, I’ll give you your warnings back.’ And, to me, he’s always bothered me. There’s a lot of talk like that around him.”

There were also rumors of situations like these occurring while Corrente was the head of officiating for the PAC-12, which he stepped down from in 2014. The last game Corrente called involving the Eagles was their victory over the Detroit Lions earlier this year. Hopefully, something like this won’t occur on Sunday with the Eagles in a crucial battle for playoff positioning against the Washington Football Team.

Mandatory Credit: USA Today