PITTSBURGH - Only hours after signing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a multi-year contract, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that mascot Steely McBeam has checked himself into a psychiatric hospital to deal with “personal issues.” The much-maligned McBeam, who was forced to enter the Federal Mascot Protection Program after fans became incensed by his presence at Heinz Field, is reportedly enduring a grueling series of electro-shock therapy sessions in a desperate attempt to return in time for the Steelers first home exhibition game in August.
A Steelers official would not elaborate on the nature of those personal issues, but it is rumored that Mr. McBeam is battling depression. Late yesterday, a spokesman for the McBeam family issued a statement expressing gratitude for the numerous gestures of sympathy and support they have received from professional sports mascots around the world, and asking for privacy while Mr. McBeam gets the help he needs. Mr. McBeam has kept a low public profile since the conclusion of football season, only making an occasional appearance as a celebrity panelist on the Friday evening edition of WQED’s “On Q.” He was spotted several times last week by morning rush-hour commuters walking along Smithfield Street clad only in a terry-cloth robe and slippers.
Reaction to news of McBeam’s illness was mixed. Dave Corbett, of O’Hara, said he hoped Mr. McBeam gets well soon, “so I have the opportunity to make fun of him again.”
