Pittsburgh zoo trading Ben Roethlisberger for Mario Lemieux _ in educational elephant display

Pittsburgh zoo scrubs Roethlisberger reference

PITTSBURGH — Disgraced Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been traded for NHL Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux — at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.

Roethlisberger’s name has been replaced with Lemieux’s on a display that compares the height of elephants with other creatures.

Zoo spokeswoman Tracy Gray says some zoo visitors had expressed concerns about Roethlisberger’s name on the display. She says Lemieux, the retired Pittsburgh Penguins star and team owner, is well-known and approximately the same height as Roethlisberger, about 6-foot-5.

The NFL has suspended Roethlisberger up to six games for his actions at a Georgia nightclub where a 20-year-old college student accused him of sexual assault last month. Roethlisberger wasn’t charged with any crime.