Steelers' Super Bowl XL Victory Blasted By Seahawks RB Who Alleges Massive Referee Bias: “Admitted That He Kicked Some Calls”

The Pittsburgh Steelers faced off against the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl XL, a game that remains one of the happiest memories for Pittsburgh fans as it secured the organization its fifth Super Bowl title. This victory marked Pittsburgh's return to glory and provided a storybook ending for iconic running back, Jerome Bettis, who won the big game in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan, ending his playing career as a champion.

Leading up to the game, all the attention was on Bettis and the legendary run Pittsburgh was on. Entering the postseason as the sixth seed in the AFC, the Steelers had to grind their way to the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Seahawks were the top seed in the NFC. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had promised Bettis that if he returned for one more year, he would get him to the Super Bowl. When Pittsburgh beat the Seahawks 21-10, Roethlisberger fulfilled his promise.

However, the game has been reviewed and scrutinized by pundits who claim the referees favored Pittsburgh. While some of those calls have been debated, many Pittsburgh fans are not interested in hearing such criticisms. Former Seahawks running back Mack Strong expressed his belief that Pittsburgh benefited from the refs during that big game in the iconic Steelers book, Facing the Pittsburgh Steelers: Players Recall the Glory Years of the Black and Gold.

“There were circumstances around that game that, in most Super Bowl games, in most championship games, you don't see as many flags. Especially, I think more toward one team than the other. There is a lot about the calls in that game, but I look at that game and I still feel we did not play our best game.”

Strong does not use the referees as a complete excuse, but he does mention them and assigns some blame to the officiating. He also believes the Seahawks lost the game because they relied too heavily on the passing game against Pittsburgh. The Steelers were particularly effective at stopping the run, yet the Seahawks only ran the ball 25 times. Strong felt that if they had run the ball more, they would have had a better chance at winning Super Bowl XL.

“I thought we could run the football on them," said Strong. "They had gotten in as the sixth seed, and had to go and win three games on the road to get to the Super Bowl. I know how hard it is to win playoff games on the road, or to win any game on the road. It takes a lot out of you. I felt like they were tired coming into that game. The Steelers have a reputation for having very physical defenses, linebackers, that kind of thing. I felt like if we could keep running the football, we had a chance to make that happen. But for whatever reason, we went away from it. We were in the huddle and we kept saying, 'OK, the next play is going to be the play?' We believed it, that we were about to break through.”

Strong pointed out that even the referee admitted to missing some calls during pivotal moments of the game, which only confirmed his suspicions and intensified his frustration. Already feeling that the officiating had negatively impacted the game, this acknowledgment from the referee made the loss even more painful for him.

“The penalties, those are the things that add to the frustration when you are just trying to get back to your game plan. The call on Matt Hasselbeck (in the fourth quarter) when he got called for a chop block when he threw an interception. Why do you call that? They never call that. A couple years after, the referee came out and admitted that he kicked some calls. I didn't want to hear that. To me, that was just more salt in the wound. It was like, 'Duh, we know that.' But at the end of the day, as players out there on the field, you have to overcome that. Pittsburgh is a good team and they took advantage of all the opportunities we gave them.”

Steelers May Have Benefited From Referee Bill Leavy's Calls During Super Bowl XL

Strong still gave Pittsburgh credit for their win. However, he referred to referee Bill Leavy, who admitted in 2010 that he made mistakes during the Super Bowl between Seattle and Pittsburgh. Leavy stated that his errors impacted the game, a strong statement that even Pittsburgh fans find difficult to respond to. Leavy experienced sleepless nights because of the mistakes he believed he made in that Super Bowl.

While Seahawks players and fans may feel that Pittsburgh benefited from the officiating, it's important to remember that missed calls are part of football. Referees make mistakes that impact both teams, and these errors often balance out over the course of a game. Despite this, Leavy felt he did a poor job in that particular game. 

Strong and other Seattle players might point to those missed calls, but they also acknowledge their own shortcomings. Many Pittsburgh fans believe that the Steelers were destined to win that game, with or without the disputed calls.

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