National Football League

Police finish Big Ben investigation; case in DA's hands now

Published Apr. 7, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Authorities in Georgia have finished their investigation into a 20-year-old college student's claim that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her at a nightclub, police said Wednesday.

Milledgeville police Chief Woodrow Blue said in a statement that his department and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation handed the investigation report and witness statements to local District Attorney Fred Bright Tuesday evening. Blue said his department would have no further comment on the case.

Bright's office on Wednesday acknowledged receiving the report and said he wouldn't make any comment until he had reviewed it.

Authorities were investigating the claim that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted the woman early March 5 at a club in Milledgeville. No charges have been filed, and Roethlisberger's lawyer, Ed Garland, disputed the claim and hired his own team to investigate.

It was the second time in a year the two-time Super Bowl champion had been accused of sexual misconduct. Roethlisberger also faces a lawsuit filed in 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 counter-damages in the lawsuit.