What happened to the sexual assault allegations against Ben Roethlisberger? Revisiting dark past of the former Steelers QB
Earlier this year, Ben Roethlisberger retired from the NFL after 18 seasons. He will be remembered as one of the best quarterbacks in league history. While some will celebrate his on-the-field accomplishments, some fans will recall the quarterback for his actions off the field. In July 2008, Roethlisberger was accused of sexually assaulting Andrea McNulty, then a member of staff at a Lake Tahoe hotel and casino.
McNulty said she went to the then-Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback's hotel room under the notion of repairing a broken television. Her complaint claimed that he obstructed the room door when she attempted to leave. Per the lawsuit filed, the quarterback snatched her and then tried to kiss her. Roethlisberger refuted the claims and never faced any criminal charges. He reached an out-of-court agreement with McNulty in 2011.
Another allegation emerged in April 2010 when a 20-year-old college student in Georgia claimed that he assaulted her in the bathroom stall of a nightclub. Her complaint asserted that Roethlisberger’s bodyguard seized the woman’s arm and guided her to a hallway. In the hallway, the quarterback was allegedly waiting with “his penis out of his pants.”
She added that he raped her, and an ensuing medical examination uncovered 'superficial laceration and bruising and slight bleeding in the genital area.' However, no semen was found. The case was dropped after authorities said there was not enough evidence to move forward.
Ben Roethlisberger was interrogated by just one police officer who coincidentally had asked the six-time Pro Bowler to pose for a picture earlier that evening. That same officer allegedly later labeled the accuser as a “drunken b*tch.”
How did the NFL discipline Ben Roethlisberger for his actions?
The NFL did not punish Roethlisberger when it came to the matter of McNulty. McNulty dealt with the backlash from those who did not like to think the quarterback was an alleged sexual assaulter. The NFL finally gave the two-time Super Bowl winner a six-game suspension in 2010 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
The suspension was later reduced it to four games for 'good behavior.' It's important to note that the league gave the same punishment to Ben Roethlisberger as Tom Brady for 'Deflatgate' in May 2015. To this day, there's still a great divide when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers' great and how his legacy will be remembered.