STEELERS BLACK -N- GOLD POST A Pittsburgh Steelers Blog from the heart of Steelers Nation.

by Ramona Dye

On Thursday May 27th, Roger Goodell announced Ben Roethlisberger would be reinstated and allowed to return to our Steelers next week.

Goodell informed media that based on the information he received from evaluations, that he has cleared Roethlisberger to return to team facilities to take part in both team meetings and practice.

"We look forward to having Ben re-join his teammates on the pratice field."

Steelers president Art Rooney II

In April, the NFL suspended Roethlisberger without pay for 6 games for violating the league's presonal conduct policy.

Roethlisberger was required to undergo a behavioral evaluation as part of that suspension, which could possibly be reduced to only a 4 game suspension after Goodell reviews Bens progress.

What everyone must or should keep in mind is that Ben Roethlisberger has not been criminally charged in the March 5th ordeal and although he is facing a civil suit against a woman in Nevada, criminal charges have not been filed in that case either.

Let's hope that this mess is behind our Steelers and we can continue moving forward into the 2010 season and make another run for the Lombardi.

As Always, Here We Go!!!

by Ramona Dye

On Monday, Ben Roethlisberger made his first appearance in public since his suspension in April, with some teammates for a charity golf tournament.

Although Roethlisberger made no statements he was seen by the local TV stations golfing and interacting with his golfing partners.

Wide Receiver Hines Ward told KDKA TV "Life isn't over for Ben", "He has to go on and deal with the consequences. But coming out today is just the first step of many." "I'm proud that he came out and showed his support."

Ben was suspended for six games for violating the league's personal conduct policy, with the possibility of that suspension being lessened to four games if he does all that is required of him by the NFL.

He was ordered to behavioral counseling and prohibited from participating in offseason team activities while the couseling continues.

The team has OTA's set for Tuesday, yet the NFL has yet to clear Roethlisberger to work out with his teammates.

I do not agree with this part of the suspension because the NFL is basically going to put on their own shoulders the possibility of Ben getting hurt due to the fact he cannot work out with the team.

If this were to happen due to him not being allowed to work out with his teammates, the responsibility of Ben getting hurt will fall onto the NFL not allowing Ben to maintain and get in football-ready shape.

I will look forward to the day that the NFL allows Ben to put this tumultous offseason behind him and focus on his future.

As Always, Here We Go!!!

by Ramona Dye

ESPN's John Clayton is reporting that there will be no charges against Ben Roethlisberger on the alleged sexual assault of a 20 year old college student in Georgia.

A source has confirmed to ESPN's Kelly Naqi that no criminal charges will be filed.

On Monday the Judicial Circuit District Attorney, Fred Bright will announce his decision as to whether charges will or will not be be filed.

Ben Roethlisberger's lawyers have fired off serious allegation back at Andrea McNulty claiming that she told 

her friends she had hoped for a lil' Roethlisberger after having consensual sex with Ben.  Andrea McNulty is the woman suing Ben claiming that Ben committed sexual assault against her in the summer of 2008 (see here).

In a legal document filed by Ben's lawyers last Friday in Washoe County, Nevada, Ben's legal squad went after McNulty's "false and slanderous" claim stating that she "boasted to her friends and co-workers that she had consensual sexual relations with Mr. Roethlisberger and was happy about that." Ben lawyers added that after sex, McNulty "was also not afraid or apprehensive about the prospect of an unplanned pregnancy, but expressed to others that she had hoped that she was pregnant by Mr. Roethlisberger. "

In the document, Ben's lawyers blamed McNulty's "alleged problems and lack of job security, need for medical benefits, need for treatment, increasing debt and lack of income" on her "inability to do her job" at Harrah's. Ben's lawyers also stated that, "McNulty's psychological breakdown appears to be the sad by-product of an affair with a married man whose wife apparently concocted a scheme to have McNulty fall in love with a fictional soldier and be abandoned by him to create heartbreak and instability. "

The filed document included a sworn statement given by Angela Antonetti, one-time co-worker of McNulty at Harrahs of Lake Tahoe, who said that McNulty appeared boastful when McNulty said that she might be pregnant from having sex with Ben.

While containing key facts about the case, the document filed a motion to move the case from Reno to Minden, "for the convenience of all the parties and witnesses and in the interest of justice."

So far, the judge has not ruled on their request.

If Ben raped McNulty, why would she hope to be pregnant? Perhaps this McNulty needs some psycho therapy.

SEE THE BIRTH OF LIL' ROETHLISBERGER NEAR THE END OF THE VIDEO

As Always, Here We Go!!!

By Ramona Dye

Ben apologized to our Steelers for any distraction stemming from the McNulty lawsuit filed against him. Also, Ben refused to discuss any legal problem or even to acknowledge them with any reporter. Avoiding any attempts of to ask him about the case, Ben asked back, "Any other football questions? I can walk away if we want." After being asked if he could stay focused, Ben said, "This is what I do, it's football. I don't know what you're talking about. It's football."

Ben plans to handle this situation just like he does any other potential distraction. He said, "Do the best you can, smile and go."

Several of Steelers said they are angry about the allegations against their starting quarterback. After Ben apologized to the team, here is what some of our Steelers have said. 

"That's crazy, man. He doesn't have to say that to me. I know how the world is. In today's society, if anybody says anything, you're guilty until you're proven innocent. I know Ben and the type person he is, and I ain't even going to say anything about it [or] I'm going to go off." --Casey Hampton

Unfortunately the court of public opinion judges and that's just the way it is, whether it's fair or not." --Justin Hartwig

"I don't think it's a distraction for the team or him, either. I think Ben has had to handle a lot more stuff outside of football than anybody on this team, probably. That just comes with the territory. He's become accustomed to that lifestyle and it will be easy for him to separate the two issues." --Troy Polamalu

"When we step on the field, it's about football. I know Ben, and he's looking forward to coming out here and competing. We don't see Ben being a distraction." --Hines Ward

This civil suit ends up being a slap in the face to women everywhere. If some women are out there scheming and conniving to get MONEY instead of JUSTICE from such an act so heinous as rape, the next time something so evil such as rape happens, should anyone wonder why no one shall believe the woman? 

It's a shame that athletes and their families can be put through hell by out right lies, and then tried and found guilty in the court of by public opinion even before a trial starts. Most hold their opinions from jealousy and hatred because they are fans of another team, or they hate anyone whose rich.
 
This civil suit stinks of a huge scheme to entrap Ben and extort money from him. Because of their celebrity or wealth, athletes can be targets for false allegations which certainly seem to be the case here. As you know, no criminal charges have been filed against Ben, only a civil suit asking for a truck load of money. 

In 2002, an unidentified woman accused Jerome Bettis of sexual assault. No charges were filed against The Bus. The district attorney in Westmoreland County, Pa., said he found evidence of a scheme to entrap Bettis and extort money.

In the past dozen years, women have filed nearly 168 sexual assault allegations against current or former high profile athletes involved at the pro level and in NCAA Division I football and basketball. Of those 168 allegations, involving 164 athletes, 162 have been publicly resolved. Only 22 saw their cases go to trial.

In 46 cases, those accused reached a plea agreement.  A mere six cases resulted in conviction. One case ended with a sealed outcome. The outcome of one case could not be ascertained. Four others cases remain pending.

More than two-thirds are never charged, saw the charges dropped or were acquitted. Charges were dropped in 20% of the resolved athlete-related incidents. 

Combined with the six athletes convicted at trial and one who pleaded guilty as charged, that gives the athletes a 32% total conviction rate in the resolved cases. Some say it suggests sports figures fare better at trial than defendants from the general population.

Research done by USA Today has shown that prosecutors who have handled these high-profile cases say they face a hurdle because of the "he said-she said" nature of sexual assault suits, particularly when a celebrity defendant's word is pitted against that of an accuser unknown to jurors, which figures to be the scenario in Roethlisberger's trial. In 36% of these type cases, law enforcement authorities say criminal charges are never filed.

This research included newspaper and wire service databases and interviews with district attorneys, defense lawyers and court officials. The research covered the period from the rape conviction of former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson in February 1992 the last time a sexual assault allegation against an athlete so dominated the sports world to the present.

by Ramona Dye


Andrea McNulty, an employee of Harrah's Casino Nevada has filed a civil lawsuit against our very own Ben Roethlisberger. She has accused Ben of sexually assaulting her during an incident that she says happened over a year ago. McNulty, a native of Canada who had worked at Harrah's Lake Tahoe hotel-casino since 2003, never went to the police with her story.

McNulty claims that Ben asked for help with his hotel room TV and when McNulty went to help him, McNulty claims that Ben forced her to have sex. 

Come on Andrea, who are we kidding here? What woman waits a year after being sexually assaulted before going to the courts and then not file a criminal complaint but instead files a civil complaint asking for money -- a whole bunch of it? Why file a lawsuit on the eve of pre-season, Andrea?

In a further bizarre twist, McNulty has accused co-workers at Harrah's of orchestrating a cover-up. McNulty claims that she told the casino's chief of security the next day about the incident. In her lawsuit, McNulty has claimed that Harrah's executives have worked to silence her and undermine her credibility rather than investigate her claims. 

On Wednesday, the local authorities said that they will not open a criminal investigation into Ben unless the McNulty files a complaint.

"If an investigation is commenced, Ben will cooperate fully and Ben will be fully exonerated," stated David Cornwell, Roethlisberger's attorney.

Not only is McNulty seeking a minimum of $440,000 in damages from Ben, but also she seeks an unspecified amount of money for so-called punitive damages "sufficient to deter" Ben and the others "from engaging in such conduct in the future." In addition, McNulty has asked for at least $50,000 in damages from Harrah's over the alleged cover up.

McNulty has been under psychiatric care for an affair she had with a married man during the time when she met Ben.

The adulterous married man's wife, we're told, posed as a U.S. soldier serving in Iraq, created an email account and began corresponding with McNulty in a try to gain intel about the affair. Over the internet, McNulty became engaged to the ficticious soldier. When the wife stopped the ruse, McNulty, began telling people the soldier was killed in action. 

Is this another get-rich-quick scheme or what? This stinks of yet another schemer trying to trap a rich, high-profile athlete into an outside-the-courts settlement. Does McNulty want to walk away with a lottery payday courtesy of our Ben? 

I am outraged as a fan. Most of all, I am outraged as a woman. If I were sexually assaulted, no money would keep me from seeking to get the creep behind bars for a long, long time.

The truth will come out and she will be known as the woman who tried to leech off of Ben, "Mc'Nut'ly".

                     ROETHLISBERGER                                 QUARTERBACK/GOLFER

By Ramona Dye

Well Steeler fans, it looks like Big Ben, Pittsburgh Steelers star QB is not only a star on the football field but also a star on the golf course. A few days before the Golf Digest Celebrity US Open, Ben Roethlisberger received a call from none other than Tiger Woods, who allegedly told Roethlisberger that he had no chance of breaking 100 on Bethpage State Parks black course, the site of the upcoming U.S. Open Benefit Golf Tournament.

Well folks, On Friday, June 12TH not only did Roethlisberger break 100, he did so with ease, firing an 11-over 81 to win the 2009 U.S. Open Challenge, beating music star Justin Timberlake by seven shots and Michael Jordan by five.

Big Ben played so well that he ended up setting a new record for the event, even beating Dallas Cowboys QB, Tony Romo who posted  an 84 last year at the Torrey Pines tournament.  Roethlisberger even managed a couple of birdies, the only birdies recorded by the members of the four celebrities of the tournament.

Pennsylvania native Rocco Mediate the runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Open, was on the bag for Big Ben. Roethlisberger birdied on holes 10 and 15, the two most difficult holes on the course. Roethlisberger said both he and Jordan discussed that any course they play on in the future will seem easier in comparison.

For those of you who are surprised, I am not. Ben has this natural ability to rise to any occasion and be in the running no matter if on the football field or apparently the golf course. Great job Ben!

As Always, Here We Go!