According to ESPN.com, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has hired a high-profile Atlanta defense attorney after he was charged with sexual assault (for the second time in the last year) over the weekend.

Police say a 20-year-old college student reported the assault after an encounter with Roethlisberger at a nightclub in the central Georgia college town.

Meanwhile, the assistant for attorney Ed Garland confirmed that he is representing Roethlisberger. Garland previously represented rapper T.I. on a federal weapons charge and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis in a murder case.

More serious charges against Lewis were dropped and he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor obstruction of justice charge.
Deputy chief Richard Malone said the accuser has also hired an attorney, but he would not say who that is.

The Steelers, who had previously withheld comment as they gathered information, released a statement Monday.

“All of us in the Steelers family are concerned about the recent incident involving Ben Roethlisberger in Georgia,” team president Art Rooney II said in a news release. “We cannot comment on any of the specifics until law enforcement’s investigation is concluded. Certainly, we will continue to closely monitor the situation.”

Is anyone else surprised by the lack of attention that this story is getting? Normally when an athlete or celebrity is charged with sexual assault, the story is headline news on all media sites. But this story seems to be incredibly slow developing and you get the feeling that this is Page 7C news instead of 1A just based on the way the media is reporting it.

There will be plenty of people that will take the racial angle here and suggest that the media is doing its best to downplay the situation because Roethlisberger is white. I’m not quite ready to hop on that bandwagon yet, but it is odd that this story isn’t receiving more headline news.

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