Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not be charged after an investigation into accusations of sexual assault by a 20-year-old woman in Georgia, sources told ESPN.
Sources confirmed to ESPN's Kelly Naqi that District Attorney Fred Bright will announce on Monday that charges will not be brought against Roethlisberger. Bright said in a statement Friday he has reviewed all the investigation reports and will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. ET Monday.
Milledgeville police Chief Woodrow Blue said Wednesday his department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation had wrapped up their investigation into a 20-year-old college student's claim that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her early March 5 at a club in Milledgeville.
Roethlisberger's lawyer, Ed Garland, has disputed the assault
claim and hired his own team to investigate.
"I want everyone to realize that Ben Roethlisberger has never
been accused of any criminal conduct by any law enforcement agency
in his life," Garland told The Associated Press Friday. "We
believe the correct decision by the district attorney in this
matter should be that no criminal charges will be made against
him."
An attorney for the woman did not immediately return calls
seeking comment Friday. A Steelers spokesman did not have a
comment.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Roethlisberger declined to answer any questions regarding the case.
It was the second time in a year that Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual misconduct. He also faces a lawsuit filed last July by a woman who says he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel and casino, an allegation he denies. Roethlisberger has not been criminally charged in either case and has claimed counterdamages in the lawsuit.
Roethlisberger did not report to Pittsburgh's offseason workouts last month. The next critical day for players is April 19, when on-field practice starts. Most of the team is expected to be on hand then.
ESPN's Kelly Naqi and The Associated Press contributed to this report.