Hall of Famer Webster dies at age 50 PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame center who helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win four Super Bowls, died Tuesday at age 50. Webster died Allegheny General Hospital, hospital spokesman Dan Laurent said. The cause of death was not immediately released. After his retirement, Webster had numerous health and drug problems. When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999, he was reported to be separated from his wife and four children. There also were reports he was heavily in debt, living in his car and was suffering from depression and memory loss. Webster often went entire seasons without missing an offensive play, anchoring a Steelers line that paved the way for Franco Harris' numerous 1,000-yard seasons and protected Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw. Webster was widely considered one of the greatest centers ever. During his career from 1974-90, he made the Pro Bowl nine times and won four Super Bowls in his first six NFL seasons. Webster was admitted to Allegheny General Hospital on Monday and died at 12:44 a.m. Tuesday, hospital spokesman Dan Laurent said. His body is expected to be turned over to the Allegheny County coroner's office for an autopsy that will likely determine the cause the death. Webster was diagnosed in 1999 as having brain damage caused by repeated head injuries during his career. Several concussions damaged his frontal lobe, causing cognitive dysfunction, his doctors said. The progressively worsening injury caused him to behave erratically, and Webster briefly was homeless, sleeping in bus stations several times when he could not find somewhere to stay. He was placed on five years probation in September 1999 in Beaver County after pleading no contest to forging prescriptions to obtain Ritalin, a drug commonly used to treat children with hyperactivity.
Not to belittle Webster in any way, but how does the HoF justify not electing Bob Hayes when they elect a guy that had all these drug problems after his career is over?? There needs to be better consistency on things like this.
