ATLANTA -- Attorneys for the woman who accused Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexual assault said she did the right thing by going to police and asked for privacy in a statement Tuesday.
Atlanta-based attorneys Lee Parks and David Walbert said in the statement released to several media outlets that the woman is assisting police. They said they were hired to advise the woman and her family while police investigate the allegations.
The 20-year-old told police that two-time Super Bowl-winning Roethlisberger, who had been out barhopping with friends, assaulted her early Friday at a nightclub in Milledgeville, Ga. Roethlisberger hasn't been charged.
Alarming development
Ben Roethlisberger isn't guilty of a crime, but a lot can't be ignored since he has been down this road before with accusations, Vic Carucci writes.
"Their daughter has done the right thing and reported this matter to the police," reads the statement released by the attorneys' Atlanta law firm, Parks, Chesin & Walbert. "She has been, and will be, available to the authorities to assist them in the criminal investigation. While the matter is under investigation, we ask you to respect her privacy, keep her name out of the press and allow the family space and time to heal."
Parks and Walbert didn't return calls and e-mails from The Associated Press.
Ed Garland, an attorney for Roethlisberger, has said the quarterback is innocent of any crime.
"The facts show that there was no criminal activity. No sexual assault occurred," Garland said in a statement Monday.
Milledgeville police have said they expect to interview Roethlisberger in the next several days and are planning to take a DNA sample from him.
Roethlisberger, who owns a home about 30 miles north of Milledgeville on Lake Oconee, also is being sued by a woman who claims he raped her in 2008 at a hotel-casino in Lake Tahoe -- an allegation he strongly denies.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
