04/16/24
April 15, 2010
Roethlisberger Accuser Claimed Forced Sex in Bathroom: The Smoking Gun has obtained the investigative documents from Georgia police related to the Ben Roethlisberger nightclub incident, which ended without police pursuing charges. In the documents, Roethlisberger's accuser told police that he followed her to a nightclub bathroom "with his penis out of his pants" and raped her after she told him "no, this is not OK." A friend of the accuser told police that she was prevented from going to her friend during the alleged incident by Roethisberger's bodyguards. "My friend is back there with Ben she needs to come back right now," Ann Marie Lubatti told police in a written statement.
It's unfortunate the victim didn't want to press this case. This sounds scary and all too believable. Also, this wasn't a he said/she said because her friends were aware that she was too intoxicated to be put in that situation.
posted by bperk at 08:00 PM on April 15, 2010
Stuff like this makes me think twice about comments I've made about TO and Cincinnati Chad ... 2 guys who are bad actors in their own right, but they do look like model citizens in comparison.
Roethlisberger is a sick twisted waste of oxygen.
posted by cixelsyd at 09:13 PM on April 15, 2010
The rich can afford a legal team that will make it impossible for the accuser (in this situation) to even think about going through with charges. Average schmucks like us, or this girl involved in this situation with dickhead Ben, can only afford legal representation made up of lawyers who would never consider taking this case on for any reason. It would be career suicide.
More than likely dickhead Ben will get caught up in another issue such as this in the near future and will lose his career and his income. A nice jail term would be great, but I don't see that happening. Luckily it looks as if the NFL (and Roger Goodell in particular) sees dickhead Ben for the scumbag he is and will likely issue some sort of punishment.
posted by dyams at 09:28 PM on April 15, 2010
cixelsyd, I'm with you all the way, except I suspect he breathes methane.
posted by outonleave at 09:43 PM on April 15, 2010
It was the DA who didn't want to press the case. Due to her level of inebriation and the he said/she said nature of the case (especially with the scene having undergone cleaning before investigation), he didn't think he had a good chance of getting a conviction.
And even if she did agree, Ben is a skeezeball.
posted by apoch at 10:10 PM on April 15, 2010
any chance she was paid off? I have absolutely no evidence that points to that, just thinking out loud. Are there civil suits in the making?
posted by dviking at 11:20 PM on April 15, 2010
And even if she did agree, Ben is a skeezeball
Why exactly? I can understand the disgust with him if you believe it's rape, but I've seen many comments like this irregardless of rape saying "what's he doing chasing after 20 year olds", "what's he doing plying a girl with liquor", etc. The guy is 27 years old and single. I was married at that age, but I had many friends who were not who were in bars, hitting on drunk 20 year olds at this age. Granted it was a little sad, but hardly made them skeezeballs. It's pretty typical at any bar across America.
posted by bdaddy at 11:38 PM on April 15, 2010
Why is Ben a skeezball?
Because at best, at BEST, he has his bodyguard block the door to the bar bathroom so he can fuck some random drunk co-ed. At best he's a public bathroom fucker.
Guy's got the common sense of a fruit fly.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:57 PM on April 15, 2010
At best he's a public bathroom fucker... Eewwww!
I gave him the benefit of the doubt in the Lake Tahoe incident. This instance has severly damaged my respect for him. And I have seen on the net that a lawyer has been retained for a woman in Boston, Mass. for the same type of behavior. The aticle is sketchy but I am a firm believer of "where there's smoke there's fire". The dude definitely has a problem.
Not to mention the two "bodyguard"/friends who were with them could possibly be facing trouble of their own. One is a Pennsylvania trooper, and the other a cop in Coraopolis, Pa. The Pa. Highway Patrol is waiting for the reports from the Milledgeville, Ga. DA's office to see if any impropriety has occured on the part of the trooper.
posted by steelergirl at 12:12 AM on April 16, 2010
I don't know Big Ben is paying those cops, but it can't be enough to tarnish their sheilds and their reputations, to say nothing of the possibility of someday spending time as accomplices.
I wonder how well this is going to go over with his owner, coach, and teammates, or do they put it down to Ben neing stupid ole Ben again. If so, the Steeler organization has taken a deep dive in esteem.
posted by irunfromclones at 04:02 AM on April 16, 2010
irunfromclonesThe Rooney family is not happy about what is going on with their star QB. Art Rooney II, team pres., has stated they are waiting to see what decision Goodell hands down before they decide what action they will take.
posted by steelergirl at 04:18 AM on April 16, 2010
Although I understand the logic, I still hate how things completely fall apart in these cases when the female accuser is drinking. That always makes it almost impossible for the case to go anywhere. It seems you can have all the evidence in the world against the accused but if alcohol is involved, forget it. Even though Ben was likely intoxicated also, which (obviously) impedes his judgement, it's the girl who is portrayed as a drunk, loose skank who actually wanted and asked for some idiot (Ben) to expose himself and force himself on her when it should be just as easy to prove Benny boy, in this case, is a drunk who may have a propensity for forcing himself on and basically violating females when he, himself, is intoxicated. Again, Benny boy has the money to make this type of thing go away legally, but I doubt Goodell and the Rooney family will be able to be swayed by his cash and celebrity.
posted by dyams at 07:34 AM on April 16, 2010
Just read my local paper. Guy in this small, nearby town received 2-4 years in state prison for attempting to steal kegs of beer from the basement of a small bar. Now I don't know (and the story didn't mention) what this guy's priors were, or if he had any, but it just seems this is the type of horrible, violent act that ends in prison time, while athletes who take advantage of drunken 20 year old women in public restrooms while their bodyguard stands watch and keeps everyone away doesn't even get charged.
posted by dyams at 08:08 AM on April 16, 2010
First of all, let me say that Ben is a real a-hole. But, a bunch of young girls that are following Ben from bar to bar are hunting trouble, and they found it. So they are no angels either. As far as Ben goes, the Rooney's will punish him as much as they are allowed by the players union. They have not said he won't be traded, but they have not received any offers.
posted by Doehead at 08:32 AM on April 16, 2010
I've seen many comments like this irregardless of rape...
Not to nitpick considering the topic of discussion but irregardless isn't a word, it's just regardless.
posted by BornIcon at 08:34 AM on April 16, 2010
Too bad Ben isn't still playing for Coach Cowher. All jaw, all spit, no sons, three daughters around the same age as the accuser. I'll bet he has an opinion about this.
Ben would have five new orifices ripped for him by the third day of training camp. If Cowher would even let him on the field.
posted by beaverboard at 08:35 AM on April 16, 2010
Why exactly? I can understand the disgust with him if you believe it's rape, but I've seen many comments like this irregardless of rape saying "what's he doing chasing after 20 year olds", "what's he doing plying a girl with liquor", etc. The guy is 27 years old and single.
Even under the most charitable interpretation of the facts, he's a multimillionaire athlete buying booze for large groups of college students -- who can't legally drink -- and he engaged in a sexual tryst in a public place with a drunk woman he isolated from her friends through the help of his bodyguards. Afterwards, he couldn't get rid of her fast enough.
So why is that disgusting? How much time do you have?
I wonder how well this is going to go over with his owner, coach, and teammates ...
This is like the Dallas Cowboys "white house" scandal all over again, except this time it's the team's best-known marquee player, a star quarterback in his prime. It has to make the owner absolutely sick.
posted by rcade at 08:35 AM on April 16, 2010
Dutch Wydo, a sports radio host in Pennsylvania, believes that Roethlisberger should launch the Association for the Falsely Accused, a group whose purposes include the naming of people like the accuser here:
If it is proven that your accuser has falsely accused you of a sexual assault but does not publicly apologize to you, we will post the accusers name and picture in the accuser photo section on our site. It will remain there until they apologize publicly.
posted by rcade at 09:05 AM on April 16, 2010
If Dutch Wydo (really?) actually meant what he said in this article, he needs to either shut the hell up or join the rest of us in the real world. Restoring Roethlisberger's good name? What good name? Just because he won a couple Super Bowls he's all of a sudden some poor soul who had his reputation tarnished? It seems more likely Dutch is just a guy who wants to kiss Ben's ass thinking it could pay dividends for him, personally, down the road.
Roethlisberger puts himself in these situations and will eventually get what he's got coming to him. He needs to grow up and quit acting like he's Gene Simmons during Kiss' heyday. Walking around drunk, with your dick hanging out, thinking your bodyguards can protect you from everything, may get you into some trouble, Ben, and you're apparently too stupid to figure it out.
posted by dyams at 09:33 AM on April 16, 2010
Cincinnati Chad ... 2 guys who are bad actors in their own right
According to everyone in Cincinnati, Chad is nothing but a gentleman. He spends a lot of time working with underprivileged kids, and hasn't ever to my knowledge had a run-in with the law. He spends too much time on Twitter and does stupid end zone dances. How's he a "bad actor" (other than in the Hollywood/Broadway sense)?
Roethlisberger's at best a horny boozehound who indicated on his cleats that he "plays for Jesus." Not even a comparison to be made.
posted by tahoemoj at 09:37 AM on April 16, 2010
rcade, thanks for doing a good job of explaining why Ben is a skeezeball.
posted by apoch at 09:38 AM on April 16, 2010
But, a bunch of young girls that are following Ben from bar to bar are hunting trouble, and they found it. So they are no angels either.
What kind of trouble were they looking for? Getting too drunk, a hangover, some vomiting, maybe a fall? I think now women who drink near Ben have to worry about being raped, but I doubt that those girls were aware of that danger.
Although I understand the logic, I still hate how things completely fall apart in these cases when the female accuser is drinking.
Well said.
posted by bperk at 10:02 AM on April 16, 2010
Doehead:
First of all, let me say that Ben is a real a-hole. But, a bunch of young girls that are following Ben from bar to bar are hunting trouble, and they found it. So they are no angels either.
Given that there's no hard and fast definition of "angel", at least in the common parlance, I might give you that one; however, there's a rather large difference between doing something foolish that endangers yourself, and doing something foolish (and "foolish" is the most charitable possible interpretation of Roethlisberger's actions here) that endangers others. Drunk people aren't capable of giving informed consent, and even someone who uses his cinder-block head as a battering ram knows that.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 10:05 AM on April 16, 2010
At my block watch meeting last night, a young lady from the area Association against Sexual Violence talked about the perception that somehow becasue sexual violence victims are impaired by substances (alcohol, drugs, etc) that somehow they asked for it. She also quoted statistics that 80-85% of sexual violence victims know their attacker(s). I thought of this situation while there.
If I'm not mistaken, didn't the bodyguards state earlier that they didn't see anything unusual? Isn't that in an earlier post about this? So haven't the bodyguards already sacrificed their intregity on the altar of Bens' predatory behavior towards women?
posted by yzelda4045 at 10:17 AM on April 16, 2010
Or they didn't see anything they considered "unusual" after being around Big Ben for weeks.
posted by yerfatma at 10:27 AM on April 16, 2010
According to everyone in Cincinnati, Chad is nothing but a gentleman
My bad actor comment had to do with his constant "look at me, I'm the greatest" act that nobody but Chad actually believes. If he'd tone down the stupid crap and just play he might get some respect.
I'm not a fan so don't know much else about the guy. If he is giving back to the community as you mention that's great to hear.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:27 AM on April 16, 2010
This from a statement today from Art Rooney II:
"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."
It sounds like a few games off is appropriate discipline for a serial rapist in the mind of Rooney.
posted by cixelsyd at 10:40 AM on April 16, 2010
I'm starting to think that Ben has sociopathic tendencies...He knows that his behavior is wrong, he doesn't care.
posted by yzelda4045 at 10:41 AM on April 16, 2010
It sounds like a few games off is appropriate discipline for a serial rapist in the mind of Rooney.
That's the thing. The NFL and the Steelers can't give Ben the penalty he deserves.
posted by bperk at 10:48 AM on April 16, 2010
My bad actor comment had to do with his constant "look at me, I'm the greatest" act that nobody but Chad actually believes. If he'd tone down the stupid crap and just play he might get some respect.
And then the game would lose its most entertaining player. Personally I'd love to see more players show some of Chad's enthusiasm. Sure his antics can be outlandish and far from the norm, but it is a hell of a lot more entertaining than seeing a player just flip the ball to the official after a touchdown.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 11:17 AM on April 16, 2010
As a Steelers fan, I am disgusted by what is coming out in the media now that the case is closed. I really was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was drunk, She was drunk, They hooked up in a bathroom, Her friends made her report it. Now, Ben sounds sleezier by the minute, and 2 cops that work very close to where I live that now sound like accesories to rape. I would not be surprised if they trade him or at least try. I would be happy to see him go. It is going to be very hard for him to come back and have the city not hate him. The court of public opinion wants him hung.
That being said, "as a steelers fan" I love watching Chad Och play. He does silly/funny stuff and is a little entertaining, but he stays out of trouble. He does what he does to be funny not an ass.
posted by Debo270 at 12:40 PM on April 16, 2010
Even under the most charitable interpretation of the facts, he's a multimillionaire athlete buying booze for large groups of college students -- who can't legally drink -- and he engaged in a sexual tryst in a public place with a drunk woman he isolated from her friends through the help of his bodyguards. Afterwards, he couldn't get rid of her fast enough.
So why is that disgusting? How much time do you have?
Well, I was hardly a wild child or ladies man as a youth, but:
- bought alcohol for random girls at a bar with an eye on picking them up? check
- tried to get the girl alone and away from friends? check
- had sex with girl several years my junior? check
- had sex in a public place while inebriated? check (just not a bathroom)
- didn't have anything to do with a girl after a one-night stand? check
That's pretty much all that has been proved (the rest is he said/she said). If you would have called it "wingmen" instead of "bodyguard", I think there's 10 different Judd Apatow movies with just that plot. Take a poll on any college campus and this is a Friday night for most of them. Granted, he's slightly old for that (27 or 28 as opposed to 22 or 23), and that does make it a little more sad, but I wouldn't say sleezy.
Now if that girl said NO, it's a different story and I'm certainly not defending him if that were the case...but if she said "YES" (which is what the earlier post implied), then I don't get the sleezy part. It's pretty typical young/single male behavior.
posted by bdaddy at 02:24 PM on April 16, 2010
Drunk people aren't capable of giving informed consent,
Well thank God that drunk people never have sex, then.
posted by bdaddy at 02:26 PM on April 16, 2010
Not to nitpick considering the topic of discussion but irregardless isn't a word, it's just regardless.
really? I use that word all the time! (of course I also use supposebly instead of supposedly).
posted by bdaddy at 02:28 PM on April 16, 2010
If you would have called it "wingmen" instead of "bodyguard" ...
But they weren't wingmen. They were his paid bodyguards. What's the point of calling them something they are not?
Did you use your status to get special VIP access to a nightclub and ply large numbers of women, some underage, with booze? Did you have sex in a public place with a highly intoxicated person you'd just met while your wingmen prevented her friends from intervening? Did the person you had sex with immediately flag down a police car afterward and accuse you of rape? Did you already have a past incident where a casual sex partner accused you of rape? I think you're straining too far to make a comparison between your actions and his.
posted by rcade at 02:37 PM on April 16, 2010
Well thank God that drunk people never have sex, then.
People who are too drunk to figure out if they are getting informed consent are too drunk to be having sex. So if they face a date-rape accusation later, it's nobody's fault but their own.
posted by rcade at 02:40 PM on April 16, 2010
People who are too drunk to figure out if they are getting informed consent are too drunk to be having sex.
And people who aren't too drunk to figure out if they are getting informed consent, and who know good and goddamn well that their would-be partner is too drunk to give informed consent, are rapists. Tales of misspent youth aside, that is the law.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 04:18 PM on April 16, 2010
Certainly not excusing Roethlisberger's behaviour, but don't you think getting hammered while wearing a tag that says you are down to fuck might give another drunk person the wrong idea?
posted by wfrazerjr at 08:38 PM on April 16, 2010
bdaddy Dont sweat the irregardless. It is a word.
I think the Rooneys should fine Ben about half a season's pay. Then donate it to a rape crisis center or maybe a battered women's shelter.
posted by steelergirl at 08:47 PM on April 16, 2010
DTF is apparently a SuperBad reference.
posted by rcade at 09:52 PM on April 16, 2010
God, my 13 year old sister could have written a more legible police report... that's a college student's handwriting?
posted by Goyoucolts at 10:48 PM on April 16, 2010
Dont sweat the irregardless. It is a word.
No. It is most certainly not. The OED used to list it as "humourously redundant". If you're going to talk like that, you might as well used the New England version, "irredisregahdlis".
posted by yerfatma at 08:24 AM on April 17, 2010
I just can not get that New England accent down, no matter how many episodes of Murder, She Wrote I watch.
posted by steelergirl at 12:06 PM on April 17, 2010
1) Wearing a nametag that says "d.t.f." does not make you a free target to be raped. I don't care how drunk either of you is.
2) it's the stationing of the paid bodyguard that really takes this to the next level. He prevented others from assisting the woman, which leads me to believe that he knew fully well what was happening.
I hope the authorities get to the bottom of this. Those cops certainly need to be examined. Can the DA still bring charges against Ben?
posted by dviking at 05:44 PM on April 17, 2010
Wearing a nametag that says "d.t.f." does not make you a free target to be raped
No, it doesn't, dvike but it sure doesn't broadcast "I'm a goodytwoshoes." either. It is a matter of perception. It would be like wearing a badge that says "I swallow" and in real tiny print it has some smokeless tobacco company's name. If a woman was wearing it...what would you think? (altho why anyone would swallow tobacco is beyond me)
posted by steelergirl at 08:18 PM on April 17, 2010
I don't really care what something like a name tag or sticker (or whatever the case may be) broadcasts to anyone else. I've seen women who have had parties where the cake is shaped like a penis; does that mean they're open to any guy who wishes to come up to them and expose themselves?
I have no sympathy whatsoever for Roethlisberger. Some want to say he is a target because he's famous, that this situation may have been a setup, or planned. He's a chump, and makes himself a easy target by being a public drunk, not being able to keep his dick in his pants, having his apparent sense of entitlement, and putting himself in these situations. Many athletes with brains and a certain amount of class realize they need to watch what they do and be aware they may have big targets on their backs. If they can't handle this idea, then quit, forfeit the fame and rewards that come with it, and see how they enjoy living the average-joe lifestyle the majority of humanity lives.
posted by dyams at 08:55 AM on April 18, 2010
I agree, dyams. But maybe Ben thought she was "easy" when he learned what d.t.f meant. Know what I mean? I am not defending him at all.
posted by steelergirl at 01:13 PM on April 18, 2010
I know what you mean, believe me. It's Benny boy that doesn't understand. A few of these possible "easy" girls are about to get him run out of either Pittsburgh or NFL football entirely.
posted by dyams at 09:47 PM on April 18, 2010
I was surprised to see this story on NFL.Com, complete with this headline: "Accuser: Roethlisberger's 'bodyguards' complicit in alleged rape."