A Milledgeville, Ga., prosecutor announced Monday that Ben Roethlisberger would not face criminal charges for the incident that occurred in a Capital City nightclub, but the Steelers quarterback could face penalties elsewhere.
Roethlisberger could face an NFL suspension after meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday, and according to USA Today, Steelers president Art Rooney II plans to punish the 28-year-old sometime after next week's NFL draft.
"I've made it clear to Ben that his conduct in this incident did not live up to our standards," Rooney told the paper. "There will be consequences for his actions."
Documents released Wednesday reported Roethlisberger's bodyguards prevented the accuser’s friends from helping her the night of the incident, according to ESPN.com, citing Nicole Biancofiore, a friend of the accuser.
"He had sex w/me and meanwhile his bodyguards told my friends they couldn't pass them to get to me," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the accuser wrote in her statement to police.
Additional police documents released Thursday reported that the accuser tried to resist the Steelers quarterback's advances, telling Roethlisberger, "No, this is not OK."
Roethlisberger made an appearance at the Steelers' spring offseason conditioning program in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, but only after speaking with Rooney.
"We allowed Ben [to rejoin the team for offseason workouts] after we were convinced that he was sincerely contrite for his actions," Rooney told USA Today.
According to Steelers Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, the team's owners "are steaming" over Roethlisberger's actions. Bradshaw feels the quarterback deserves to be suspended at least two games, and perhaps even traded.
The Steelers are not looking to trade Roethlisberger, but Rooney thinks the two-time Super Bowl winner must redeem himself to NFL fans.
"We look at this as an ongoing journey," Rooney said. "Ben is going to have to continue to demonstrate to us that the commitment he's talked about so far is evidenced in his actions going forward."
