MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – A Georgia college student said she felt powerless to stop a short-tempered Ben Roethlisberger from having sex with her in a bar bathroom even though she told him to stop, telling investigators: “I’m a little girl and he’s a big boy.”
Her interviews with police were among more than 50 audio and video clips released Wednesday from the investigation into Roethlisberger’s late-night carousing in a Georgia college town, a sordid incident that didn’t result in criminal charges but reinforced his reputation for petulant behavior and earned him an NFL suspension.
The DVDs offered the first extensive account by the accuser, who hasn’t spoken publicly, as well as less than a minute of shaky Roethlisberger footage from the club. With loud music blaring, the Pittsburgh Steelers star asks a girl what her drink tastes like, doles out high-fives, strikes a pose, punches his fist in the air twice and flashes a huge grin for the camera.
Before the night was done, he was accused of sexually assaulting the 20-year-old woman, who said she didn’t try to fight him off because he appeared to anger easily.
“I noticed throughout the night he kind of had like a short temper, like he would get really, like, defensive,” she told investigators, but didn’t elaborate on what made her think that.