theGrio

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Living
    • Health
  • Inspiration
    • Good News
  • Entertainment
    • Music
    • The Dish
  • News
    • Education
    • Sports
    • Black History

News

  • thanksgiving-travel-16x9.jpg

    Holiday safety tips

  • Meagan Good

    Good staying celibate

  • obama-and-choom-gang-16x9

    Obama's pot history

  • 2) I Am Legend (2007): In arguably one of his greatest dramatic performances, Smith held the screen virtually all by himself for most of this apocalyptic thriller's running time. He plays a military scientist who may or may not be the last man on the planet.  A scary good time at the movies.

    Will Smith's top 10 films

Officer behind Roethlisberger report resigns amid scandal leaks

by theGrio | April 16, 2010 at 5:17 PM
Comments
Print

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, but he cornered her in a nightclub bathroom.

The woman’s statements to police were included in hundreds of pages of police documents released Thursday. Earlier this week, prosecutors said no charges would be filed against Roethlisberger, who has denied the college student’s accusations through his attorney.

The student told police Roethlisberger assaulted her in the bathroom of a bar in the college town of Milledgeville early on the morning of March 5. They had met earlier in the night as they bar-hopped, she with her sorority sisters and he with an entourage.

On Friday, Milledgeville Police Chief Woodrow Blue confirmed that Sgt. Jerry Blash, the officer who took the first report from Roethlisberger’s accuser, resigned from the force Wednesday, a day before the Georgia Bureau of Investigation released the case documents.

The documents show Blash acknowledged to investigators that he made derogatory statements about Roethlisberger’s accuser to other officers and that some in Roethlisberger’s party may have overheard him. He was the only officer to interview Roethlisberger, with whom he had posed for pictures earlier in the night. Calls to a number listed for him rang unanswered Thursday evening and Friday.

The documents also show that after the college student’s accusations surfaced, a 16-year-old in a youth law enforcement program run by the Milledgeville police told authorities he had been told about incidents involving Roethlisberger and a friend’s sister. The 16-year-old told police the woman’s brother told him that Roethlisberger twice made unwanted sexual advances.

Authorities repeatedly tried to interview the woman, who is in her early 20s, but she declined. A message seeking comment was left Friday with Roethlisberger’s lawyer, Ed Garland.

The documents released Thursday for the first time detail the events through the eyes of Roethlisberger’s accuser.

In a statement to police on March 5, the young woman said Roethlisberger encouraged her and her friends to do numerous shots. 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, according to the police documents. “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.

WATCH NBC SPORTS REPORT ON ROETHLISBERGER’S FUTURE HERE:

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

“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 Georgia Bureau of Investigation identified that bodyguard as Ed Joyner, a Pennsylvania trooper, and the man who led Roethlisberger’s accuser down the hallway as Anthony Barravecchio, 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 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 and will review it.

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.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is reviewing the Georgia case 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.

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.

Prompted 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, first reported by the New York Times, the absence of criminal charges is not enough to excuse poor behavior.

“The policy makes clear that NFL and club personnel must do more than simply avoid criminal behavior,” the memo said. “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.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Filed in: News, Sports, Top Stories, Video | Related Topics: Ben Roethlisberger, Jerry Blash, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rape, Sexual Assault
  • Top Stories in News

    • Slideshow: The 15 best dunkers in NBA history Slideshow: The 15 best dunkers in NBA history
    • The noose makes a comeback The noose makes a comeback
    • Hidden WWII film could aid today’s vets Hidden WWII film could aid today’s vets
    • Serena Williams says sister Venus is ‘inspiring’ Serena Williams says sister Venus is ‘inspiring’
    • ‘Man with 30 kids’ actually has 24
    • Rape conviction overturned: Now what?
    • Marvin Winans’ license suspended when carjacked
    • DNA study seeks origin of Appalachia’s African-Americans
  • New Stories on theGrio

    • How Harry Truman desegregated the military How Harry Truman desegregated the military
    • How WWII vets helped lead the civil rights fight How WWII vets helped lead the civil rights fight
    • Rangel on black America’s truest heroes Rangel on black America’s truest heroes
    • Remembering America’s black war heroes Remembering America’s black war heroes
    • Beyoncé performs for first lady, Malia and Sasha
    • Rape conviction overturned: Now what?
    • Rap Genius: Top 5 rap lyrics of the week
    • Hidden WWII film could aid today’s vets
  • LIKE TheGrio

  • Hot on Facebook

  • Category Cloud

    Atlanta Black History Business Chicago Detroit Education Entertainment Health Inspiration Living Los Angeles Miami Money News New York Opinion Philadelphia Politics Reviews Service and Activism Slideshow Sports TheGrio's 100 TheGrio's 100 Women Top Stories Travel and Leisure Video Washington DC
  • More from theGrio

More Stories on theGrio

Top News

Politics

  • Silvio Berlusconi leaves after the AC Milan Christmas Party at the Royal Pavilion at the Central Station on December 14, 2011 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Claudio Villa/Getty Images)

    Woman claims she dressed like Obama for Berlusconi

  • Florida voters support 'Stand Your Ground' law

  • Marion Barry: I misspoke when I said 'Polacks'

  • Obama's pot history

» Read More in Politics

Business

  • © olly - Fotolia.com

    Black Enterprise celebrates largest black companies

  • Facebook unveils Instagram rival

  • Donna Summer album sales up 3,277 percent

  • 5 resources for black entrepreneurs

» Read More in Business

Living

  • thanksgiving-travel-16x9.jpg

    Holiday safety tips

  • Good staying celibate

  • 'He tucks me in,' first lady says of president

  • Obesity costs: The new second-hand smoke?

» Read More in Living

Inspiration

  • Original Tuskeegee Airman Leonard Yates greets Quinn Thorne on his birthday.

    Tuskegee Airman grants b'day wish

  • Serena Williams says sister Venus is 'inspiring'

  • Investors plan soccer stadium for Haiti

  • Meet the breakout star of 'Battleship'

» Read More in Inspiration

Entertainment

  • Rapper 50 Cent performs onstage during day 3 of the 2012 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field on April 15, 2012 in Indio, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Coachella)

    50 Cent endorses marrige equality

  • Beyoncé's announces first post-baby concerts

  • Diddy's son earns $54K football scholarship

  • Will Smith's top 10 films

» Read More in Entertainment

News

  • This May 24, 2012 file photo shows Brian Banks reacting in court after his rape conviction was dismissed in Long Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

    Rape conviction overturned: Now what?

  • Hidden WWII film could aid today's vets

  • Backlash against African migrants in Israel

  • Black family members skip European soccer championship

» Read More in News

Main menu

Skip to primary content
Skip to secondary content
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Living
  • Inspiration
  • Entertainment
  • News
  • Help
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise with TheGrio
  • About
©2010 NBCUniversal
Powered by WordPress.com VIP