While Chicago Bears fans deflated watching quarterback Mitch Trubisky struggle in a 10-3 opening-night loss to the Green Bay Packers, the referees were full of exuberance.
The emphatic “first down!” calls launched by referee Tony Corrente threw some people off. There were claims on Twitter of the crew betting on the Bears, preferring to sing and changing professions to become a PA announcer instead.
Rather, Corrente was elongating the “dooooooown” in his calls to honor longtime NFL referee Red Cashion. Cashion died in February after a 25-year career as an official and made the multiple-o “first down” call famous.