The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not face charges after he was accused of sexual assault. During that evening on March 5, 2010, the women, who accused Roethlisberger of sexual assault, left her friends for the bathroom while they were still mingling with Roethlisberger's friends. Roethlisberger, she reports, followed her into the same bathroom where she was sexually assaulted. She reported the incident to the police soon after, but she did not want to press charges.
However, even though there is a claim that she was sexually assaulted, there is not enough evidence to prosecute successfully. The doctor who examined the victim "could not tell whether bruising on her genitals was from sexual assault." In addition, a rape-evidence kit "found a small amount of male DNA but not enough to create a profile." Other reports argue no one else was there to witness the crime.
Even though Roethlisberger will not be charged due to a lack of evidence, he will face league or team discipline, which is a small price to pay for the crime that he might have committed.
In my opinion, I dislike the fact that some professional athletes who commit crimes do not face the same severity of punishments as an average citizen. With a past history of an act related to sexual assault, there should have been a deeper investigation for this crime.
I wonder how this will affect his NFL career and social life, especially his role as a team leader.
Friday Late Night Open Thread
1 hour ago
6 comments:
hmm I agree with Clinton. This guy should be punished even though the supposed victim doesn't want to press charges...even if there is not enough evidence he should at least be questioned and there should be an investigation. Sexual assault is a crime and he definitely should not be getting any special treatment since he is a star athlete. There is always the thought that maybe this woman is trying to get her 15 minutes of fame..but then again she isn't pressing charges..Nonetheless athletes, no matter how big of stars they are should not be easily let off the hook if guilty.
If she didn't want to press charges then what is the point of reporting it to the police? Sounds like she just wants to ruin his image, not like it was that great to begin with. I agree with you though, Talia and Clinton, punishments should apply to everyone. Seems like celebrities and athletes think they can get away with anything these days.. especially the ones who cheat on their wives.
I agree, he definitely shouldn't just be let off that easily. I wonder if he wasn't a star athlete if he would have been investigated still. I also wonder why the lady reported it and went to all that trouble and then decided not to press charges, that part doesn't add up correctly.
Roethlisberger definitely deserves punishment as these claims against him are highly likely of being true. Last year, Roethlisberger was accused of sexual harassment by a different female at a hotel in Reno, NV, but those charges were dropped as well. When the police were investigating, they found out Roethlisberger owned a home in Georgia, which he told no one about, and is near the bar where the woman accused Roethlisberger of sexual assault. Furthermore, several pictures of him have arisen of him
Word around the NFL is that Roethlisberger will recieve a suspension for several games. While Roethlisberger has never been formally charged, there is obviously a pattern surrounding his activities outside of football. This evidence and the charges bring up big questions about his personal life, regardless if these charges are true or not. 2 sexual assault accusations one year apart with two woman with no relation whatsoever brings up a lot of suspicion. Although these claims can be false, it reveals that there are issues with the way he behaves outside of football, and that deserves punishment. As a professional athlete, he needs to remember that he's going to face a lot more scrutiny from the public.
before i read Michael's comment, i thought that it made sense he only got minimal punishment since there wasn't enough evidence and the woman didn't press charges. However, his background proves that this event is very likely to have happened, and when someone is a repeat offender, i think it's very crucial to punish the accordingly in order to stop the behavior.
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