More Roethlisberger Sleaze

APRIL 16--While probing a Georgia college student's claim that she was sexually assaulted last month by Ben Roethlisberger, investigators were told of previous incidents during which the NFL star allegedly pulled down his pants in front of a young woman and forcefully put his hand up her skirt, The Smoking Gun has learned.

But when contacted by a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent, the woman, after consulting with her parents, declined to be interviewed because she was "very worried about her name getting out to the media and on the Internet."

Ten days after a 20-year-old sorority sister reported being raped by Roethlisberger, 28, in the bathroom of a Milledgeville nightclub, the GBI learned of the alleged prior encounters from a member of the Milledgeville Police Department's Youth Explorer Program. The source, Linc Boyer, apparently passed on information provided to him by a sibling of the woman involved in the previous incidents.

As detailed in this GBI report, the woman "is 21 or 22 years old" and worked at the Great Waters golf course, which is near Roethlisberger's retreat on Lake Oconee. On one occasion, the woman, acting as a designated driver, drove Roethlisberger home from a party. After helping the inebriated athlete to his bedroom, Roethlisberger allegedly would not let her leave. The woman "was able to get to the front door of the house, but Roethlisberger slammed the door." He then allegedly pulled down his pants and told the woman "she could do whatever she wants."

A week after the incident (the date of which is not specified in GBI documents), Roethlisberger invited the woman to a party at his home. While there, she "ended up in Roethlisberger's bedroom," where the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback reportedly wanted to show her a new bed. After asking her to lie down, Roethlisberger "was allegedly forceful" with the woman and "put his hand up [her] skirt." After pushing Roethlisberger's hand away, the woman went to leave the home, which angered the football star. The woman then "went home and told her father, but her father chose not to pursue the issue."

When GBI agent Monica Ling first called the woman's home last month in reference to a case she was working, the woman's mother "advised that if the case is in reference to Ben Roethlisberger," her daughter "does not want to get involved." The woman, whose name was redacted from GBI documents released in response to a TSG open records request, later told Ling that she was "very concerned about her name getting out to the media."

During a March 16 telephone call, the woman told Ling that she had spoken with her parents and decided against being interviewed by GBI or other law enforcement officials. The woman, Ling reported, "did not think that she wanted to be involved at this point."