For most football fans today, they are constantly checking for updates on their teams progress during the free agency period that started last night. For Pittsburgh Steelers fans, they may be getting a breaking news story that sounds all too familiar.
Today TMZ.com is reporting that Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is being accused, again, of sexual assault. The alleged incident took place at Capital City, a club in Milledgeville, Georgia. The allegded victim has already been treated and released from the hospital and other witnesses are being interviewed. According to updates, Roethlisberger has been interviewed by police and no formal charges have been filed at this time. The Steelers obviously have no comment. This is the last thing the Steelers front office needs to deal with right now with trades and free agency at full steam.
Roethlisberger is still being sued by Andrea McNulty, the Nevada woman who claims that he sexually assaulted her in a Reno Hotel room in 2008. This is why I can’t believe this to be true and if so, I can’t believe someone would be boneheaded enough to be in a situation where someone would be able to claim such allegations. If untrue the damage is already done. Once someone is accused of something like this it is hard to shake the reputation, guilty or not. For instance look at the Duke Lacrosse team from 2006. The 3 players were accused of rape but after a year of litigation, the accusations were found to be false and the charges were dropped.
If Roethlisberger is being falsely accused, then I really feel for him and hope that the truth comes out. If the accusations prove to be true, then I suggest he gets some help right away. He can follow the path to recovery that Steve Phillips and Tiger Woods are on. If you are a betting man or woman like myself, I would put the house on this being a false accusation from a money hungry stripper. Just a guess though.
UPDATE 1:45 PM: Apparently Roethlisberger was indeed at Capital City where he was said to have had only 1 beer and was very friendly with everyone. If the one beer statement is true then you will have a hard time convincing me that a sober super star quarterback went into the ladies restroom and assaulted a woman….
UPDATE 2:00 PM: The story is gaining legs, just picked up on SI.com
UPDATE 2:10 PM: Milledgeville Police say that no arrest is imminent for Roethlisberger and Monday would be the earliest he is interviewed. Also, OL Willie Colon was with him last night at Capital City but has not been accused of any wrong doing…SPORTSbyBROOKS
UPDATE 3:20 PM: Pro Football Talk recieved the following statement from Ben Roethlisberger’s agent Ryan Tollner: “Last night, Ben and his friends met a group of women and everyone mingled together throughout the evening,” Tollner says. “We have spoken to law enforcement. Based on information currently available, an allegation was made against Ben, which appeared to be dismissed after a preliminary investigation last night. Obviously, given the prior accusation against Ben, we are skeptical of motive, but we will continue to cooperate with everyone involved.”
Check back for updates.
