Roethlisberger's lawyer hires a team of investigators
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An attorney for Ben Roethlisberger said Tuesday his firm has assembled a team of investigators to gather information about sexual assault allegations that have been raised by a 20-year-old college student.
But Attorney Edward T.M. Garland said he believes that Mr. Roethlisberger "is absolutely innocent of criminal misconduct."
"The fans and the people that believe in him should be patient. ... The truth will come out," he said Tuesday in a telephone interview. "The investigating authorities are acting in a responsible matter thus far and I believe they are taking their role very seriously."
Nonetheless, he has his own investigators -- some of whom are former law enforcement officials and some of whom are lawyers -- interviewing witnesses and "studying circumstances."
"Any good lawyer needs to look at every fact, every witness and every circumstance to render proper and good legal advice for anyone he represents," he said.
Meanwhile, the woman in the case has hired attorneys David Walbert and Lee Parks of the firm Parks, Chesin & Walbert in Atlanta. They released a statement Tuesday asking the media "to respect her privacy, keep her name out of the press and allow the family space and time to heal."
They said their client "has done the right thing and reported this matter to police. She has been, and will be, available to the authorities to assist them in the criminal investigation."
The woman, a student at Georgia College & State University, told police early Friday morning that Mr. Roethlisberger, 28, sexually assaulted her at a nightclub near the college campus in Milledgeville, Ga. Police at the scene interviewed Mr. Roethlisberger and members of his party and permitted them to leave.
The woman was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was treated and released.
The Post-Gazette does not name accusers in sexual assault cases.
Though Mr. Garland said he had "confidence in the process," he added that, generally speaking, law enforcement can be hasty in bringing charges without merit when the accused is a celebrity. Mr. Garland has represented celebrities before in criminal matters, including Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who was accused in 2000 of a double murder in Atlanta. Mr. Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice and testified against two co-defendants who were later acquitted.
First Published March 10, 2010 12:00 am
