Super Bowl XL ref to work Seahawks-Steelers game
Sep 12, 2011, 11:31 AM | Updated: Sep 13, 2011, 9:41 am
Bill Leavy admitted last summer that he blew two calls in the Seahawks' loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL. (AP)
(AP)
Bill Leavy, the referee who admitted to botching a pair of calls in the Seahawks’ loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL, will work Sunday’s Week 2 matchup between the teams in Pittsburgh.
According to Danny O’Neil of The Seattle Times, this will be the second Seahawks game Leavy has worked since Super Bowl XL. The rest of the officials for Sunday’s game will be different, however, as the league hand picked officials from different crews to form the officiating crew for that Super Bowl.
Last summer, while at Seahawks training camp to brief players on rule changes that were going into effect that season, Leavy also spoke to reporters and unexpectedly addressed what he said were blown calls in Super Bowl XL, which the Seahawks lost 21-10.
“It was a tough thing for me. I kicked two calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game and as an official you never want to do that,” Leavy said. “It left me with a lot of sleepless nights and I think about it constantly. I’ll go to my grave wishing that I’d been better. I know that I did my best at that time, but it wasn’t good enough.
“When we make mistakes, you got to step up and own them. It’s something that all officials have to deal with, but unfortunately when you have to deal with it in the Super Bowl it’s difficult.”
The Seahawks have played the Steelers once since Super Bowl XL – a 21-0 loss in Pittsburgh in Week 5 of the 2007 season. Cornerback Marcus Trufant and linebacker Leroy Hill are the only holdovers from the Seahawks’ Super Bowl team.
