I rewatched that play. Hass dove to tackle the ball carrier around the knees. There was another Steeler in the area, too. They called an illegal "low block". I don't know all the rules, but isn't it a penalty if you dive and take out the legs of an opposing player who doesn't have the ball? Or something? I mean yeah terrible call but it at least was very slightly understandable.
I don't know the truth. It could be the most rigged game of all time, it could be Leavy doing little things to influence the outcome, or it could have just been a bad game for the officials...maybe they all went out and partied the night before. I don't know.
It's not that I want to be a contrarian. Let's face it I'm not the only person who's sceptical. It's just my nature to give people the benefit of the doubt until I see proof.
Everything that's been mentioned can be explained without saying the official or officials were out to get us. It was 2005 and nobody cared about The Seahawks. And those awful looking all-one-color drab uniforms weren't helping. Pittsburgh has a huge national fan base, Detroit is relatively close to Pittsburgh, etc. That's why it seemed like everything and everyone was against Seattle in that game. Thank God Pete Carroll and co. fixed our marketing/brand issues with better colors, better uniforms, and a unique style of good football.
