Rape charges

I’m a little late on this one, but being a huge fan of the NFL this really stings. I hate reading stuff like this, and it seems to happen all to often. Allegations of rape were filed against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger last week by a 31-year old Nevada woman who claims the star quarterback sexually assaulted her in a hotel penthouse back in July of 2008. According to the Associated Press the woman didn’t file a criminal complaint after the assault, but now is going after some big bucks.
Let me start off by saying I don’t know if Roethlisberger is guilt or innocence. If he goes to trial it’s for a jury or judge to decide. But he’s one of my favorites players so when he says “Her false and vicious allegations are an attack on my family and on me. I would never ever force myself on a woman,” I really want to believe him. All to often the pattern of these kinds of accusations are the same. The victim somehow finds herself alone with a person with lots of money, gets assaulted, doesn’t report it in a timely manner, or eventually moves the complaint from a criminal complaint directly to a lawsuit. In this case the woman reports hotel officials were told of the incident, but went to great lengths to cover it up. Her lawsuits seeks a minimum of $440,000 from Roethlisberger, a minimum of $50,000 from Harrah’s officials, and punitive damages. Come on people! If you’re raped, report it right away no matter who, or what gets in your way. Rape is extremely serious, and you don’t sit back and let others dictate the process, especially if the accused is high profile.
Some will instantly pass judgement and believe the woman is not telling the truth and that Roethlisberger is being steamrolled. So if the woman recants her story, or works out an out of court settlement, which allows the lawsuit to be dismissed, Roethisberger will wear this badge of shame forever. Just look at Michael Jackson and Kobe Bryant. On the other hand there will be those that will insist that Roethlisberger is a rapist. They will continue to believe that even if a court says otherwise. It’s a no win situation for both parties.
That’s what makes this news so troubling. If Roethlisberger is guilty, but cuts a deal he will be getting a slap on the wrist even if he has to pay millions of dollars. Everybody knows that guy is not going to jail. If he’s innocent, but still has to pay then his reputation is still severly damaged, and he forget about endorsements.