No tape in the Champagne Room...

The on going investigation evolving around Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger hit a bump today as several reports of the March 5th incident have come to light. ESPN.com is reporting that the entrance to the VIP room where the two time Superbowl winner allegedly sexual assaulted a 20 year old was guarded by a bodyguard at the time of the alleged incident.

It also stated in the report that the bathroom that was located in a back room of the VIP section of the nightclub was also guarded by a friend of Roethlisberger's at the time of the incident. 

When interviewed by ESPN the bouncer on duty at the Capitol City Nightclub stated that is was common for a guard to protect the bathrooms and that he didn't see anything "out of the ordinary" about the night.

Later in the article the bouncer, Rocky Duncan, had this to say about the time of the alleged incident...

Roethlisberger was standing and talking with what appeared to be a woman sitting on a stool a few feet from the bathroom door, which was separated from the stage room by a 4-foot divider. Roethlisberger's frame blocked Duncan from seeing the woman. But Duncan added he had never seen the accuser and did not know what she looked like. Duncan said a member of Roethlisberger's entourage, whom he called "the ringleader," was sitting on a stool about a foot away from the door that led to the area where Roethlisberger and the woman had been talking.

Another twist in the case came today when it was announced the security camera footage of the night was some how erased before police had the chance to acquire it for evidence. Owners of the nightclub state that they were attempting to make a copy for police when they encountered a malfunction and somehow the records were erased.

There has been little support or comment made from team officials or the Rooney family about the issue. In an ESPN interview head coach Mike Tomlin stated that he was not frustrated about the fact that Ben has been absent from off season workouts and he expects Ben to be present when mandatory OTA start in a few weeks.

Right now both sides are gathering evidence for the preliminary hearing but they expect the case to possibly go to trial sometime this summer. This is not the second time Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual assault. In 2009 a hotel clerk at the Lake Tahoe Harrahs Hotel accused Ben of rape and is attempting to sue for over $450,000 in damages from the QB. The case is still pending.

(on a side note: this guy is disgusting, yes I know the girl was only 20 and the case will most likely be thrown out because she was a drunk minor in a club but what the hell is this guy doing in a nightclub in a college town, I hope he gets a rape charge this is the second time he has been accused and he needs to be put in his place).

-b.chan

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