Witness:Ben Roethlisberger's bodyguard dragged accuser into room

[TZ]

A friend of the woman who accused Ben Roethlisberger of sexual assault told authorities that Roethlisberger's bodyguard "dragged" the woman into a bathroom where the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and woman had sexual relations.

In documents released Wednesday, Nicole Biancofiore told investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations that her friend, a student at Georgia College & State University, "was dragged by a bodyguard to the back room in Capital . She was extremely intoxicated and not aware of what was happening."

"He had sex w/me and meanwhile his bodyguards told my friends they couldn't pass them to get to me," the accuser wrote in her statement, which was reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5094224
If this is true, Roethlisberger IS a scumbag...:grr:

[Auggie]

1. Steelers have internally discussed trading Roethlisberger

NFL.com / 4-15-10

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't talked with other teams about dealing embattled quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but they've had significant internal discussions about the matter, a source with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

According to the source, Steelers ownership remains dismayed and embarrassed by Roethlisberger's actions in a Georgia college town this offseason and finds his string of off-the-field incidents troubling. The team has been closely monitoring the public backlash against Roethlisberger.

"The Rooneys are livid," the source said.

<SNIP>

The Steelers' front office has talked internally about possible trade scenarios that could be feasible and what makes sense for the team. According to a source, if other teams called about Roethlisberger, the Steelers would intently listen.

LINK: http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8178b2b1&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

This was discussed a few days ago here in this very forum. We're hot.

[ebbie15644]

3. Life long Steeler fan

would rather see them lose than keep this loser!!!

[PRETZEL]

10. Guilty or not,

the integrity of the organization is bigger than one player,

No matter how big a star, no matter how important to the team.

[Botany]

5. Ben wrote a big check ..... No doubt

Facts
The victim was bruised, crying, and went right to the police after she got away from Ben.

Ben was in the women's room w/ a bodyguard watching the door.

But later the women said she didn't want to testify.

My speculation ..... Ben wrote one damn big check.

[MrSlayer]

2. A guy like this will eventually do something he can't buy his way out of.

It's only a matter of time.

[Auggie]

6. +1

[Dinger]

18. Give 'em An Inch, They'll Take a Mile, Then More Than A Mile,

then more and more and more. Eventually they get what they deserve, but not nearly as quick as other people get what they deserve.

[devilgrrl]

4. My Brother-in-Law, serious Steelers fan - Thinks big Ben is the hugest asshole ever!

My BIL rarely says anything bad about anyone - I'm inclined to believe him.

[Poiuyt]

7. So he was walking around the bar with his schlong hanging out?

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 and went to the first police car we saw."

===

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."

more-

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/15/witness-statements-make-bad-situation-worse-for-roethlisberger/

Why isn't he in prison?

[Divernan]

8. Trib-Review has lots more of damning details than Post-Gazette

The Trib is not my paper of choice, but I do check it on big stories to see what spin they put on it. It ran a much more detailed article than did the Post Gazette.
A reader survey in the Post-Gazette was running about 72% in favor of trading him, and in another poll only 16% felt he should get no disciplinary/punitive action by the Leage/Steelers.

What on earth do his mother and sister think of his behavior? I suspect he has one of those mothers who refused to believe her little boy could ever do anything wrong, and that's why he turned out the way he did.


www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_676653.html

His two bodyguards were an off-duty Pennsylvania State Trooper and an off duty Coraopolis (1 horse town/Pittsburgh suburb) cop. The Coraopolis cop, Tony Barravecchio, is quoted in the report as describing the local sorority girls thusly: "These whores in town see guys with money and accuse them of rape." The local cop who first investigated the incident, a Jerry Blash, "resigned" Wednesday, just before the records were released. Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents stated Blash used "salty language" to describe the young accuse, and had his photo taken with Roethlisberger earlier that evening.

None of the Milledgeville officers marked the rest room with crime scene tape and a janitor mopped it with Clorox bleach and Pine-Sol, destroying any potential evidence.

When a friend of the victim tried to enter the VIP area to retrieve her highly intoxicated friend, the victim, PA state trooper Joyner said he didn't know what she was talking about. Meanwhile a bouncer at the club said that Joyner, who paid the bar tab, instructed him to "allow only females back to the area where Roethlisberger was seated.

And Barravecchio stated Roethlisberger told him to show the victim where the bathroom was and witnesses described Barravecchio as putting his hand on the victim's shoulder and pushing her toward the bathroom.

(I think both of the Pennsylvania trooper and the local cop should be fired.)

[TZ]

13. Well at least the local cop is "resigning".

ATLANTA -- The Georgia police officer who took the first report from the woman who accused Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexual assault has resigned.


Milledgeville police Chief Woodrow Blue on Friday confirmed that Sgt. Jerry Blash resigned Wednesday, a day before the Georgia Bureau of Investigation made public all documents related to its investigation of a 20-year-old woman's claim that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her.

Prosecutors announced earlier this week that they are not charging Roethlisberger in the March 5 incident. Blash is the only officer who interviewed the quarterback. He acknowledged in an interview with investigators that he made some derogatory comments about the accuser to other officers.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5099224

Geezus. This whole affair is really disgusting.:puke:

[wilt the stilt]

9. Vick,Woods and Bryant crucified

Rothesberger so far given a pass. Gee, what am I missing here.

[Captain Hilts]

11. Vick was convicted of a crime. Woods admitted to his. R'burger is going to get thumped. Stay tuned.

[wilt the stilt]

12. Whwn you compare the amount of media attention

it isn't even close.

[Captain Hilts]

14. In the case of Vick, animal rights activists got involved. The photographs were gross.

To be frank, there's less of a constituency for women than there is for animals.

Animals are never "asking for it."

[Captain Hilts]

15. Vick's brother had already been in trouble with the law on field and off, so folks saw a pattern. nt

[erpowers]

16. Race Not An Issue

Race is not an issue in any of these cases. In Michael Vick's case he was accused of brutally torturing dog, which are probably America's favorite animal. Then he was convicted of that crime.

In the case of Tiger Woods, Woods was a guy who had promoted himself as a guy who cared more about his family than golf or anything else. He promoted himself as a guy who would not have done things like he did. Then it was revealed that did do the things people thought he did not do. In addition, with Woods it was a daily string of women coming out to claim they had had affairs with Woods. I think the real deal with Woods was that some people were shocked and felt betrayed by the actions of Woods.

In the case of Ben Roethlisberger, Roethlisberger is a guy who is know to do stupid things. In addition, there either is not any evidence or very little evidence. As far as I know it was reported that there was not enough evidence to prove that anything had happened. It seems that DNA was found, but there was not enough to determine from whom the DNA came.

[TZ]

17. I think it was more that the accuser did not want to press charges.

Judging from the statements some of the police made, they are basically acknowledging that something bad happened.

[wilt the stilt]

19. Really, How much press did Kobe receive

vs. how much press did Rothesberger receive? not even close.

[erpowers]

23. News Reports On Every Channel

I saw news reports on just about every news channel. The moment the allegations came out news outlets like The Today Show Weekends, Good Morning America weekend, The Sports Reporters, The Today Show, Good Morning America, and the national news channels reported on the allegations. Just yesterday the CBS morning news show discussed the story.

[Yavin4]

21. Ben's Been Given Not One, But TWO Passes

Recall, he's being sued in Nevada on a similar charge. African American professional athletes are crucified in the media over similar charges, and in most cases, rightly so. Here, ESPN doesn't even lead the broadcast about a possible serial rapist.

[Captain Hilts]

22. It's intensifying today. He's not being given 'passes'. It's still evolving and coming out. nt

[erpowers]

24. ABC's Good Morning America Weekend

ABC which owns ESPN lead it Saturday morning news, Good Morning America: weekend, show with the allegations. I would not be surprised if the issue did not lead some ESPN shows when it first came out. I know a number of ESPN shows discussed the issue multiple times. Outside the Lines, Rome is Burning, and Pardon the Interruption all did multiple segments on the issue. In addition, people on ESPN have been talking about the fact that this is the second time Roethlisberger has been accused of this crime.

[Yavin4]

20. This Isn't Even His ONLY Offense

He's facing a civil trial on a similar charge. He's not just a rapist, but a serial rapist.