More Ben News....yada, yada

[Chadman]

A few of you are now making the point I tried making a few days ago.

It's completely unfair that this woman (really, anyone in a situation like this) can say "Ben did this"...

Then, the media can release Ben's name...

But not hers....

As a few of you have said- there should be some protection for the accused as well, until they become CONVICTED.

Until that point, we get what we have here- a complete character assasination on Ben, who will forever be tainted with this. Another thread suggests he settles. Ok, he does that & then we will all forever believe the rich guy bought his way out of trouble. Not that he didn't do it. Let's say he goes to court & wins- then we will all believe Ben had better lawyers that got him off. Not that he didn't do it.

Ben can't win this, regardless of his guilt or innocence. His character has, forever, been tarnished.

I suggested (perhaps foolishly) a few days ago that if found not guilty, Ben should sue every media outlet that named him in this case for slander. Maybe damages would be better? Because, regardless of the outcome, for the general public, Ben is guilty.

This will effect his social life & financial options for the rest of his life.

Based on an ACCUSATION.

It stinks, and is completely unfair.

That said, if Ben is guilty, give him the whole box & dice.

[skyhawk]

This is starting to remind me of the Aruba girl case. A blond from Atlanta who would do no wrong. Well, turned out the Aruba girl was doing wrong, drinking and sleezbagging around with a group of guys. I get so tired of this self righteous crap. She was 20 and in a bar.

Yes, JAR!

It's now the ME generation. So self righteous.

[NJ-STEELER]

PITTSBURGH -- Two off-duty Pennsylvania law enforcement officers were with Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the Georgia nightclub where a woman accused him of sexual assault, and the two men didn't see anything inappropriate, an attorney for one of them said Wednesday.

Channel 11 News reporter Alan Jennings interviewed attorney Michael Santicola, who is representing Anthony Barravecchio, an officer on the force in the Pittsburgh suburb of Coraopolis.

Barravecchio and State Police Trooper Ed Joyner were among eight people with Roethlisberger celebrating his birthday at the Milledgeville, Ga., club where the alleged sexual assault took place.

Both officers are known friends of the two-time Super Bowl winner.

Sources close to the investigation told Jennings that Roethlisberger told police his accuser fell and hit her head in the club. According to the source, Roethlisberger said what occurred was consensual but it was not intercourse.

Jennings later learned that the accuser appeared to be heavily intoxicated, but Roethlisberger reportedly didn't buy or give her a single drink.

Jennings was told the woman, a 20-year-old Georgia college student, bought her own drinks and that her apparent intoxication may have caused her to fall.

According to Channel 11 sources, not a single witness said the accuser asked for help.

"Honestly, this is not lining up with someone who has been sexually assaulted," said Santicola.

Police did question Roethlisberger about the night in question last week, but never asked to talk to any member of his eight-person entourage, Jennings said.

Barravecchio's lawyer told Jennings on camera that his client told him, "I do know unequivocally that no criminal activity took place from Tony's perspective and everything else we know that absolutely these allegations are not true."

Santicola told Jennings his client has not been questioned by Georgia authorities, which is a red flag, in his opinion. If his client is asked to give a statement, he said it would be given freely.

"From a criminal defense stand point it certainly seems like a weak case to me. I do not believe this is the kind of case that would have any chance of success," Santicola said.