To Roger Goodell: Referees are crushing the game

The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay, Florida on Sunday night in one of the most memorable Super Bowls of all-time.

Wait, didn't we say that last season when the immortal Patriots lost to the Giants of New York? It's hard to find a better game than last season's, but the Steelers and Cardinals certainly provided enough story lines and action.

The game itself was amazing to watch, kudos to the Pittsburgh Steelers for leading an unbelievable winning drive. Santonio Holmes is now a household name among receievers, while Larry Fitzgerald also didn't disappoint.

I do, however, have one major knock on the game itself: officiating.

I beg you to find a bigger game than the Super Bowl. There is a reason that commercials sell for $3 million for 30 seconds, the Super Bowl is the most anticipated game annually.

There are two major downfalls for the referees, though, in this game. The first late in the fourth quarter, when Arizona stalled and were forced to punt the ball. On the coverage, Arizona player Aaron Francisco went to cover the punt return when Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison got in the back

Harrison, the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year, began to punch Francisco to the ground. Right when Francisco began to stand up, Harrison threw him back to the ground not once, but twice. It was an ugly display of what the NFL should not stand for.

The referees obviously saw this, as they called a personal foul, but they did not make the obvious call: ejection. Harrison should not have been allowed to come back and play in the game for the Steelers after totally going against the NFL rules.

The second infraction against the referees came in the second to last play of the game. Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner was scrambling in the pocket trying to find an open receiver, stepped up, and then was hit as he let the ball go.

The officials called this a fumble and gave the ball to the Steelers, who went ahead and kneeled to seal the game.

There were no official reviews. In the final two minutes of an NFL game, only the booth can call for reviews. In this case, they for some reason did not. The play was definitely controversial. Too many fans and viewers across the country, Warner looked as if his arm was coming forward, meaning an incomplete pass.

While I am not saying that Arizona lost the game because of this call, I am saying that it is a horrendous job by the referees to fail to look over the play. An extra five or ten minutes is all it would have taken. In arguable the biggest game of the year in any of the major sports, the referees just got lazy.

It is ridiculous that an official review was not called for. Arizona players and coaches were desperately pleading for a chance, but they were not given it.

It's a real shame that one of the Super Bowl's greatest games will be tainted by poor officiating.