Source: Sports Illustrated
Steelers capture Super Bowl XL title, 21-10
NFL.com wire reports
The 23-year-old Roethlisberger achieved it more with his legs than his arm. He dived into the end zone from the 1 late in the first half, barely reaching the goal line -- if at all -- according to a replay, and converted enough second-half first downs to wind down the clock.

Source: Miami.com
Posted on Mon, Feb. 06, 2006
Throw a flag on these Super Bowl referees
BY JASON WHITLOCK
Kansas City Star

Seattle was victimized by two other questionable first-half calls_including the 1-yard TD run the refs awarded Roethlisberger when he seemed a few inches short of the goal line.

Source: FOXSports
Refs were far from Super in this one
Kevin Nench / FOXSports.com
Then came Pittsburgh's first touchdown. Whether you think Roethlisberger broke the plane of the goal line seems to depend on which team you were rooting for. The odd part was the line judge seemed to have determined that Big Ben had come up short as he ran in from the sideline. Since Roethlisberger had been pushed back well short of the goal line I don't know what he could have seen as he got closer to the pile that would have made him change his mind. But up went the arms. Had Roethlisberger been ruled short of the plane, that call would no doubt have stood too. But you figure the Black and Gold would have pounded it in from the two-inch line on fourth down so there's not that much here for Seattle fans to complain about except for the continuing storyline that every single call was going the Steelers' way. And the worst was yet to come.

Source: ESPN
Game’s third team upstaged Steelers, Hawks
By Michael Smith, ESPN.com
By contrast, the Steelers might have gotten a break on Roethlisberger's 1-yard touchdown plunge on third-and-goal in the second quarter. Leavy reviewed the play under the booth's orders, since it occurred inside the two-minute mark, and while still photos of an airborne Roethlisberger showed that the ball might have broken the plane of the goal line, he landed short of it and reached the ball over. It was close. Head linesman Mark Hittner didn't seem so sure of it, hesitating before signaling touchdown.

"I don't think he scored," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said.

Source: Sports Illustrated
Opportunity lost: Seahawks can’t overcome “uncharacteristic’ mistakes
Posted: Sunday February 5, 2006, 10:35 PM
And all Seahawks still believe Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did not get the ball to touch the goal-line plane on his 1-yard score with 1:55 left in the second quarter that put the Seahawks behind for good, 7-3. They believe Lewis pushed the ball outside the line as he drove Roethlisberger's shoulders to the Ford Field turf.

"I saw that I pushed the ball back," Lewis said.

Referee Bill Leavy didn't see it Lewis' way. He upheld the call after a replay review. Holmgren then upbraided Leavy on his way off the field at halftime.

Holmgren walked over to Leavy, a fifth-year referee calling his first Super Bowl, and could be seen angrily telling him, "It wasn't even close."

Source: Toronto Star
TV unveils zebras at their worst
Lousy officials simply hijacked The Big Game
Feb. 6, 2006. 01:00 AM
CHRIS ZELKOVICH
What may not have been a touchdown, though, was Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's dive to the end zone. After a replay review that did not show the ball breaking the plane of the goal line, head referee Bill Leavy allowed the touchdown to stand.

The fact he did was no surprise to ABC announcer Al Michaels, who noted that Leavy was the official least likely to overturn a call. Seattle coach Mike Holmgren thought it was questionable enough to berate the officials at the half.

Source: USA Today
Super Bowl referees foul, but then so was everything else
Ian O’Conner
Leavy could've helped matters earlier by overturning Roethlisberger's non-touchdown. But once ABC showed that Leavy likes overturning calls as much as Polamalu likes trips to the barbershop, you knew the referee wasn't really examining the replay anymore.

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