Ben Roethlisberger briefly spoke with the media Thursday afternoon, vehemently denying the accusation by a Nevada woman that he sexually assaulted her last July.
"The allegations against me are reckless and false," Roethlisberger was quoted as saying in USA Today. "I would never, ever force myself on a woman."
Roethlisberger did not take any questions.
Earlier, The Associated Press reported that no criminal investigation is expected to take place.
"The victim is the only one who can [file a criminal complaint]," Teresa Duffy, Douglas County Sheriff's Deputy, told the AP. "Unless there was a third party that actually witnessed the incident, which according to the civil case, was not the case here."
Thursday, Roethlisberger said he will handle the accusations in court.
"I'm not going to discus my private life or this civil case in the media," Roethlisberger said. "I'll respond to her outrageous allegations in the appropriate forum.
"As much as I'd like to answer everyone's question, I'm going to respect the legal process. And I'm confident the truth will prevail."
The alleged incident took place in July of 2008, when Roethlisberger was in Lake Tahoe for a celebrity golf tournament. The 31-year-old Nevada woman is suing Roethlisberger for $440,000 in damages and also suing Harrah's officials for an alleged cover-up.
According to her lawsuit, she did not file a criminal complaint at the time for fear of losing her job.
Roethlisberger and his attorney, David Cornwell, have denied all allegations.
The AP also reports that Roethlisberger will still participate in Shaquille O'Neal's reality show, Shaq Vs., but a Thursday news conference to promote the show was cancelled.
