Roethlisberger Accused of Another Sexual Assault

[ArmyBengal]

When the Steelers come to Cincinnati next season, the whole stadium should break out into a chant of "rapist" !!!

[Ickey44]

When the Steelers come to Cincinnati next season, the whole stadium should break out into a chant of "rapist" !!!

That. Would. Be. Awesome.

[HairOnFire]

After looking at the facts that are out, I get the sickening feeling that Ben is getting away with rape.

Perhaps he's getting away with rape again?

Because not only did the decision to not press charges bring to the surface rumors of a 3rd sexual assault...it stirs anew the old rumors about sexual assaults and a possible rape being covered up during Ben's college days. To be fair, those obscure rumors were mostly dismissed when they first surfaced years ago due to an utter lack of proof, but as the DA said...proof is hard to come by in cases like these.

Makes you wonder how long this type of thing has been going on, ehh?

[jjakq27]

We'll see what kind of slap on the wrist, Rog gives him, if any.

http://www.nfl.com/n...ts&confirm=true

Things have gone sour in his home town too.

"Roethlisberger's diminished popularity also is evident in his hometown of Findlay, Ohio, where merchants said Tuesday that his jerseys and other memorabilia are sitting unsold on shelves. "We can sell everybody else's, but not his," Sue Cataline said. "We can't sell any of his stuff.""

[redsbengalsbucks]

We'll see what kind of slap on the wrist, Rog gives him, if any.

http://www.nfl.com/n...ts&confirm=true

Sue Cataline said. "We can't sell any of his stuff.""

This seems to be his problem with all the ladies, he cant sell any of them any of his stuff, which leads Ben to force his miniscule loads into them by any means.

[Dadraftnick]

Did anyone see this?

Boston attorney says he investigated another Roethlisberger incident

Posted by Mike Florio on April 13, 2010 11:13 AM ET

So with the possibility of a Georgia prosecution official gone and only a civil lawsuit in Nevada remaining, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can exhale and focus only on playing football and not barhopping, right?

Maybe not.

Boston lawyer Harry Manion told WEEI's Dennis & Callahan Show on Tuesday that Manion was involved in an investigation regarding another Big Ben incident.

Said Manion: "[T]here is a history here this is just super troubling."

Manion specifically referred to an incident from 2009, also in Nevada. "Six months ago I was retained by a client of mine and a close friend to investigate allegations against Ben Roethlisberger in a Las Vegas nightclub that were absolutely identical to this Georgia girl's story," Manion said.

Manion believes that, if Roethlisberger ever is going to change his ways, the near miss in Georgia will be the impetus.

"Unless he's totally brain dead -- and we don't know -- he would be scared," Manion said. "Because he has really walked a perilous line here. There's a whole litany here, not only my experience, I have connected with several other people that have experience. And you know, there's only so far that he said/she said will get you. There's only so far that paying hush money will get you, if hush money is paid. And there's only so far that, 'Gee, we're celebrities, we have a target on our back,' will get you. When you see this much smoke, month after month and continuously . . . . It's the scene that he's gotten himself caught up with, and the belief that he can walk, and so far, so good. But it's hurting him. He's hurt. He has been damaged. And the next one, the wrath of God's going to come down on him, if there is a next one."

It's compelling stuff, and we agree with Manion's take. That said, the guy has a set of large brass ones to talk about allegations that never were pursued in criminal or civil court. A certain degree of immunity applies to statement made in conjunction with official legal proceedings. Manion has placed himself at risk for a defamation claim, especially by suggesting that there are incidents beyond the Vegas case that he personally handled.

Then again, the primary injury in a defamation case occurs to the reputation of the plaintiff. Like Pacman Jones threatening to sue ESPN in early 2009 after the network released more information about an alleged Atlanta strip club shooting from 2007, Jones would be able to prove no damage to the manner in which any potential untruths harmed his reputation because his reputation already was horrendous.

Ben faces the same challenge. Suing Manion or anyone else who claims that he has a more extensive history of Milledgeville-style encounters would expose Roethlisberger's entire sexual history and his broader reputation to scrutiny. As Roger Clemens has learned the hard way, nothing good comes from that approach -- especially if hanging in the closet next the devil-face T-shirt is a collection of skeletons.

Boston lawyer Harry Manion told WEEI's Dennis & Callahan Show on Tuesday that Manion was involved in an investigation regarding another Big Ben incident.

"Six months ago I was retained by a client of mine and a close friend to investigate allegations against Ben Roethlisberger in a Las Vegas nightclub that were absolutely identical to this Georgia girl's story," Manion said.

SO-O-O! There are at least 3 Women that have accused Rothlesburger of rape! How many more are there out there? How many been have paid off?

There is also the practice of using off duty cops paid by Rothlesburger that kept people out of the restroom while the accuser claims she was raped - that if true is engaging in a criminal conspiracy.

There is the security tapes from the club that were " accidently" errased by people at the club while police were getting the proper person to copy the tape.- its like magic, when you have enough money.

Micael Vick goes to prison and kicked out of the league for dog fighting, freaking dog fighting!

Chris Henry is nearly kicked out of the league for a series of misdomeanors.

Rothlesburger has at least 3 women accuse him of rape within a year -and I doubt that anything will happen to him.

Dont buy the Steelers smoke screen of them trading him , they are already making excuses for not tradidn him.

* Just a side note , did anyone see the TMZ pictures of Rothlesburger from that night? He is wearing a black long sleeve Tee with the devil on it.

Do you own a shirt with satan on it? I sure as hell dont.My shirts have things like the Bengals or one of my favorite bands.

It just sounds like the kind of thing that BTK or Ted Bundy would wear to do his dirty work in.

The thing that makes me angry is the way the media is worried about how this will affect the Steelers -not how it will affect the women that claim to have been raped by Rothlesburger.

[COB]

Sweet. Skeletons crawling out of Ben's closet. There's a lynch mob mentality growing around Ben, and I'm loving it. Maybe Goodel will feel the heat and feel forced to do something serious.

I've heard rumors that Ben's late-night behavior with women was pretty shaky when he was at Miami. All we need now is for one of those victims to step forward and the public might decide Ben's a serial rapist. His status will fall to pariah, the Steelers will have to unload him.

[jjakq27]

Ben on the block?

/>http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/article/2010-04-15/will-steelers-entertain-trade-offers-for-ben-roethlisberger

[Passepartout]

NFL and the Steelers are going to take action on him!

[Walrus]

Witness statements are available on the smoking gun. Reading this just turns my stomach. Really sickening. Really feel for that girl and her family...

/>http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0415101roethlisberger1.html

Edit: on p 12 of tsg's records, the witness names Willie Colon as a part of Ben's posse that night. Just found that interesting since I had not previously heard that any other players were there that night.

[BengalszoneBilly]

Witness statements are available on the smoking gun. Reading this just turns my stomach. Really sickening. Really feel for that girl and her family...

/>http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0415101roethlisberger1.html

Unbelievable charges were not filed. Could it be that his security team consisted of several off duty local police officers as I read in an early report?

[ArmyBengal]

The funny thing to me is going into sports stores these days and finding the once prominently displayed Roethlisberger jersey now rotting away on the clearance rack. I looked to see how much they were going for and they couldn't give those things away, priced at $25.00. Karma's a bitch for all those righteous Steelers fans who couldn't keep their mouths shut back then.

Sure is quiet these days huh ??

[COB]

According to the AP story below, and you'll immediately want to go take a shower after reading it, the two off-duty cops were complicit in this rape. One seperated the victim from her friends so Ben could attack her, the other ignored pleas from one of the victim's friends to go retrieve the victim so Ben couldn't rape her.

Those two bastards need to go, I don't care if they were out of their jurisdiction, they're cops. They have a duty to protect the innocent. This is absolute bulls**t, I don't care what a f**king gutless prosecutor in Hillbilly, Georgia, says. This is rape and they had physical evidence on the victim in the form of bruising to prove it.

Finally, in regards to Ben's NFL punishment, you'll be glad to read that Art Rooney says the punishment will be imposed when the Steelers and the commissioner agree on what the punishment should be.

After reading this, the Steelers should just cut Ben Roethlisberger. Make a statement that enough is enough. He raped this girl and at least two prior victims made complaints of very similar rapes.

/>http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBN_STEELERS_ROETHLISBERGER?SITE=OHCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Roethlisberger's accuser says she told him 'no'

By KATE BRUMBACK

Associated Press Writer

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (AP) -- The 20-year-old college student who accused Ben Roethlisberger of sexual assault told police she tried to get away from the Pittsburgh Steelers star, and one of her friends said she talked to one of the quarterback's bodyguards out of concern for the intoxicated woman.

The police interviews were among hundreds of pages of the case file made public Thursday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Earlier this week, prosecutors said no charges would be filed against Roethlisberger, who has denied the accusations through his attorney.

In a statement to police on March 5, the young woman said Roethlisberger encouraged her, and her friends, to take numerous shots of alcohol. Then one of his bodyguards escorted her into a hallway at the Capital City nightclub, sat her on a stool and left. She said Roethlisberger walked down the hallway and exposed himself.

"I told him it wasn't ok, no, we don't need to do this and I proceeded to get up and try to leave," she said. "I went to the first door I saw, which happened to be a bathroom."

According to her statement, Roethlisberger then followed her into the bathroom and shut the door.

"I still said no, this is not OK, and he then had sex with me," she wrote. "He said it was OK. He then left without saying anything."

Two of her friends said they saw a bodyguard lead her into the hallway and then saw Roethlisberger follow. They said they couldn't see their friend but knew she was drunk and were worried about her.

Ann Marie Lubatti told police she approached one of Roethlisberger's two bodyguards and said, "This isn't right. My friend is back there with Ben. She needs to come back right now."

She said the bodyguard wouldn't look her in the eye and said he didn't know what she was talking about. The GBI later identified that bodyguard as Ed Joyner, and the GBI also determined that the man who led Roethlisberger's accuser down the hallway was Anthony Barravecchio. Joyner is a Pennsylvania trooper and Barravecchio is an officer on the force in the Pittsburgh suburb of Coraopolis.

Attorney Michael Santicola, who represents Barravecchio but said Joyner also is a longtime friend, confirmed on March 10 that the two officers were present, but not in an official capacity. He said the two men are friends with Roethlisberger and did not witness any criminal activity or inappropriate behavior. He said the officers "have no memory" of meeting his accuser.

Lt. Myra A. Taylor, a spokeswoman for Pennsylvania State Police, said Thursday night the agency is getting a copy of the investigative report from Georgia authorities. "We will thoroughly review the report and determine if there is a violation of Department regulations on the part of Trooper Edward Joyner," she said.

Ocmulgee Circuit District Attorney Fred Bright said Monday the woman's accusations could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt and that the woman had asked him not to pursue the case.

Roethlisberger also is being sued in civil court by a former Nevada hotel employee for an alleged sexual assault in 2008. No criminal charges were filed in that case.

According to the investigators' summary of events, Roethlisberger friend Brad Aurila had a conversation with the quarterback when they returned to his house that night and asked him why police showed up at the nightclub. In an interview with police, Aurila said Roethlisberger told him nothing had happened and that he "was in the back with a girl and they were 'messing around.'" Aurila said he "took 'messing around' to mean 'kissing, whatever.'"

In her first statement to police hours after the incident, the woman said she and her friends first saw Roethlisberger at Velvet Elvis.

"He then met us at the Brick and called us a 'tease.' Eventually, we saw him at the Capital City and saw him there. We said 'hey' and he started talking to (redacted) (nothing in particular) and his bodyguard took him back to the room w/ bathroom," she wrote. "I said, 'I don't know if this is a good idea' and he said, 'It's OK.' He had sex with me and meanwhile his bodyguards told my friends they couldn't pass them to get to me."

In a second statement on March 5, the woman went into more detail about the encounters with Roethlisberger, saying that he made "crude, sexual remarks" when the two groups encountered each other at the second bar, before they went to Capital City.

There, Roethlisberger was surrounded by women, according to statements made by the accuser's friends.

"At the back of Capital City, the room was blocked off for him and females only," Nicole Biancofiore wrote in a statement to police.

After the accuser emerged from the bar and told Biancofiore and Lubatti about the encounter, the women left.

"I walked up to the first cop car we saw and told them what happened," Lubatti said in a statement.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is reviewing the matter and Steelers president Art Rooney II said Thursday that the league and team probably won't settle on any punishment until after next week's draft.

"When we get to the point where we have agreed with the commissioner on what that action will be, that's when it will be imposed," Rooney said. "After imposing an appropriate level of discipline and outlining the steps we feel will be necessary to be successful as a player and a person, we intend to allow Ben the opportunity to prove to us he is the teammate and citizen we all believe he is capable of being."

Rooney said the team is prepared to discipline Roethlisberger now, but will wait for the league's decision. Roethlisberger told him that he will accept the punishment, Rooney said.

Sparked partly by the Roethlisberger incident, Goodell sent a memo last week to NFL owners, executives and head coaches emphasizing the importance of the league's personal conduct policy. According to the memo, which was first reported by the New York Times, the absence of criminal charges is not enough to excuse poor behavior.

"Unfortunately, in recent weeks there have been several negative incidents," the memo stated. "These incidents include subjects that we have previously identified as particularly troublesome, such as alcohol-related offenses, allegations of violence against women, and weapons offenses. ... The policy makes clear that NFL and club personnel must do more than simply avoid criminal behavior. We must conduct ourselves in a way that is responsible, that promotes the values upon which the league is based, and is lawful."

The Roethlisberger case has infuriated the Steelers.

"I have made it clear to Ben that his conduct in this incident did not live up to our standards," Rooney said. "We have made it very clear to Ben that there will be consequence for his actions, and Ben has indicated to us he is willing to accept those consequences."

---

AP Sports Writer Alan Robinson in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.

[BengalszoneBilly]

If you're waiting for cops to obey the laws they're supposed to enforce, you have a long wait ahead of you.

[Ickey44]

If you're waiting for cops to obey the laws they're supposed to enforce, you have a long wait ahead of you.

Sad, isn't it?

[jjakq27]

I can't see anybody wanting to trade for this guy.

So what is worse? What Ben did or Plaxico shooting himself in the leg? It'll be interesting to see what kind of punishment he gets.

[COB]

If you're waiting for cops to obey the laws they're supposed to enforce, you have a long wait ahead of you.

I know it, I know they're not all Joe Friday. But, at the very least, I expect them not to sign up as henchmen for an evildoer.

[COB]

I can't see anybody wanting to trade for this guy.

So what is worse? What Ben did or Plaxico shooting himself in the leg? It'll be interesting to see what kind of punishment he gets.

Good comparison. I hope Goodell looks at the offenses and the punishments he's handed out, and tries to keep everything relative. Because if he does, goodbye to Ben Roethlisberger for a long time.

[Ickey44]

I can't see anybody wanting to trade for this guy.

So what is worse? What Ben did or Plaxico shooting himself in the leg? It'll be interesting to see what kind of punishment he gets.

Unfortunately for Plax, there was no way he wasn't gonna get charges. Also, what he did carries a minimum sentence of three years in New York. The Commish didn't have to do much to Plax.

[Dadraftnick]

It seems like everyday we get another little more on the Rothlesburger case.

This from PFT, the guys that love Rothlesburger and the Steelers,if these guys put this story on Rothlesburger then you have to wonder how bad it is.

That said, I still doubt anything major will come down from Goodell after all, he plays for the Steelers.

Witness statements make bad situation worse for Roethlisberger

Posted by Mike Florio on April 15, 2010 7:42 PM ET

Now that the criminal investigation in Milledgeville, Georgia has ended, police have released 572 pages of records relating to the alleged events of the night of March 4 and the early morning of March 5.

The documents contain among other things the statements of the alleged victim and her friends. And it's not pretty, primarily since the documents paint the clearest picture yet of the behavior, legal or not, in which Roethlisberger was engaged on the evening in question.

From The Smoking Gun, here's the relevant portion of the alleged victim's detailed statement, which was given the morning after the alleged incident:

"Ben asked us to go to his 'VIP' area. . . . We all went with him. He said there were shots for us, numerous shots were on the bar, and he told us to take them. His bodyguard came and took my arm and said come with me, he escorted me into a side door/hallway, and sat me on a stool. He left and Ben came back with his penis out of his pants. I told him it wasn't OK, no, we don't need to do this and I proceeded to get up and try to leave. I went to the first door I saw, which happened to be a bathroom. He followed me into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. I still said no, this is not OK, and he then had sex with me. He said it was OK. He then left without saying anything. I went out of the hallway/door to the side where I saw my friends. We left [the club] and went to the first police car we saw."

As it turns out, the alleged victim gave two handwritten statements. The statement given after the passage of time is neat and legible. The earlier one is hard to read, since it was written while the alleged victim was still intoxicated. Here's part of what it said:

"His bodyguards took him back to the rooms w/bathroom and I said, 'I don't know if this is a good idea' and he said 'it's OK.' He has sex w/me and meanwhile his bodyguards told me friends they couldn't pass them to get to me. My friends found me & talked to a Milledgeville policeman and he said to report it."

During his Monday press conference, district attorney Fred Bright mentioned the sketchy initial statement followed by the more detailed second statement. He also pointed out that, at the hospital, the alleged victim said, "A boy kind of raped me." Moreover, the officer who received the initial complaint wrote that the alleged victim's recollection was "foggy from to [sic] her intoxication level."

The inconsistencies in her statements and her intoxication create fertile ground for "reasonable doubt." Though this gives rise to an unfortunate reality that women who are intoxicated will have difficulty obtaining justice if raped, the fact remains that our legal system employs a high standard of proof in order to ensure that innocent men are not wrongfully imprisoned (notwithstanding all of the supposedly innocent men who already are in prison).

Meanwhile, we detected a strong degree of consistency and credibility regarding the statements from the alleged victim's friends, who nevertheless could contribute only circumstantial evidence to the investigation, since no one saw the exchange between Roethlisberger and the alleged victim. For example, Ann Marie Lubatti said that she saw Roethlisberger's bodyguards guide the alleged victim to a side door, and that two minutes later she saw Roethlisberger walk back there. "I immediately went up to the other bodyguard and said, 'this isn't right,'" Lubatti said in her statement. "'My friend is back there with Ben. She needs to come back right now.' The bodyguard wouldn't look at me, he just said, 'I don't know what you are talking about.'"

Lubatti wrote that she saw Nicole Biancofiore approach the manager of the nightclub, and that Biancofiore told him to unlock the door to the hallway. The manager said, "Ben's an NFL quarterback, he won't do anything to ruin his reputation."

Lubatti also corroborates the allegation from the alleged victim's legible statement regarding Roethlisbergers "penis already out of his pants."

Nicole Biancofiore's statement corroborates much of Lubatti's, but does not mention the remark about Roethlisberger exposing himself upon entering the room.

So while Bright concluded that he could not obtain a conviction (he said Monday at his press conference that he didn't believe there was even probable cause to arrest), Bright echoed on Monday the opinions of many regarding the evening in question.

"It is unclear, it is foggy, what exactly happened in that bathroom," Bright said, "but if I was there coaching him I'd say, 'Ben, you don't need to do this. You don't need to put yourself in a position where you're alone in this dingy bathroom with you and this girl. That's foolish. Grow up. You need to be a role model. You need to be a role model for your team, your city, the NFL. You can do better.' And I hope he's learned something from this. I really do."

It's unclear whether he has. After the Commissioner and/or the Rooneys impose their discipline, it's far more likely that he will.

'VIP' area. . . . We all went with him. He said there were shots for us, numerous shots were on the bar, and he told us to take them. His bodyguard came and took my arm and said come with me, he escorted me into a side door/hallway, and sat me on a stool. He left and Ben came back with his penis out of his pants. I told him it wasn't OK, no, we don't need to do this and I proceeded to get up and try to leave. I went to the first door I saw, which happened to be a bathroom. He followed me into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. I still said no, this is not OK, and he then had sex with me.

WTF? I think that I am going to be sick!

I am still waiting for the guys at PFT to call him a turd, I guess that will only come if he is traded.

[Dadraftnick]

From TMZ,the night of the aleged incident Rothlesburger and Willie Colon (just re-signed by the Steelers) had 38 drinks in less than 2 hours for a total of $224.25.

Big Ben's Teammate -- Massive Tip Exposed

Originally posted Apr 16th 2010 11:11 AM PDT by TMZ Staff

There's one part of Ben Roethlisberger's infamous night out in Georgia that's indisputable -- he and teammate Willie Colon were on a serious drinking spree, and they were not stingy with the gratuity.

Newly released documents from the investigation include their tab from The Brick in Milledgeville -- their last stop before Capital City bar, where the alleged sexual assault occurred.

According to the docs, they ordered 38 drinks in less than two hours for a total of $224.25 -- and then left a big fat tip of $100.

The Steelers offensive tackle Colon paid the bill with his AMEX card.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2010/04/16/ben-roethlisberger-willie-colon-georgia-bar-tab-pittsburgh-steelers/#ixzz0lIW7sX00

[walzav29]

Ben is a disgrace, and even if this was my beloved Golden Boy. I would turn my back on him. Watching Steeler fans make excuses for this guy is sickening. The race element here is huge. A guy on the radio had a point. If this was David Garrard he would be locked up. You'd better believe it. If Goodell was smart. He'd suspend Ben for a year, because everyone outside of Pittsburgh is disgusted with this guys behavior, and they know if this was a black guy he'd be locked up.

[ShulaSteakhouse]

How does DateRapelisberger not even get charged with providing drinks to an underage person?

This girl should not be afraid of pressing charges if she was pressured, and am glad she at least spoke up about it.

Unfortunately a LOT of pro athletes do these sorts of things, but most of them tend to be a bit smarter about their targets. (think: strippers and groupees)

[membengal]

Passing the time while waiting for the suspension to be handed down, I have to say, the fact that this latest incident has been something of a karmic payback for the s**t-spewing that Steelers fans did back in 2006 and 2007 after Cincy's player's troubles is somewhat amusing to me.

[ArmyBengal]

Now they are talking about not releasing any information until draft day in regards to Ben's punishment.

Yeah, that sh*t is funny !!!