Man impersonated QBs to get dates

[Hap]

PITTSBURGH - Police have flagged a man for an illegal quarterback sneak. Authorities said Brian Jackson, 31, dated two women by pretending to be Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Brian St. Pierre.

Jackson, arrested Friday, was charged with harassment for allegedly continuing to contact both women after they learned of the ruses. He was also charged with criminal mischief for allegedly ruining a Steelers jersey owned by one of the women's neighbors when he signed his worthless rendition of Roethlisberger's autograph on it. The jersey was worth $75 before it was signed, police said.

Jackson and his attorney, Paul Boas, declined comment after he was arraigned in Pittsburgh City Court and released on an unsecured bond Friday. Boas again declined comment when reached at his office. Jackson faces a preliminary hearing July 25.

The team didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

In one of the scams, Jackson arrived at the woman's home on July 6, gave her an autographed football and pretended to be Roethlisberger, signing the neighbor's jersey, authorities said.

When she got home from their date that night, the neighbor brought her a newspaper article and told her that the man wasn't Roethlisberger.

Allegheny County police said Jackson pretended to be St. Pierre, the third-string quarterback, when he met a woman last September. She told police that during the three weeks they were in contact, Jackson often talked of his "teammates" and offered to autograph footballs for neighborhood kids. Jackson also told the woman to watch Steelers games so she could see him when he went into the game, police said.

When the woman did watch a Steelers game, she saw the real Brian St. Pierre on the screen and realized that Jackson was an impostor, police said. Jackson tried to explain to the woman that he looked "different" on TV, but she asked him not to contact her, police said.