Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr. said a ref told him he wasn’t offsides before being flagged for it

The tone for the Arizona Cardinals' tough loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday was probably set on the opening snap. And there's likely nothing Marvin Harrison Jr. could've done to change a thing about it.

In the postgame, the rookie receiver clarified what happened when he was called for being offsides on the Cardinals' first offensive play of the game. As almost every receiver usually does before each play, Harrison claimed he checked with a referee to ensure he was lined up correctly before the snap. The official apparently told Harrison he was all set and good to go, but ... he still flagged him for being offsides.

What? That's so weird. Why would the ref do that?

Whatever happened here, Harrison got the best lesson of all.

Contrary to any other possible belief, the refs are not your friends. They're just there to officiate the game, man. Don't expect anything else -- especially if they pull a penalty out from under you. If anything, be prepared for that to happen now.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr. said a ref told him he wasn’t offsides before being flagged for it