RENO, Nev. -- A woman has filed a lawsuit accusing Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of raping her last summer in his penthouse hotel room at a casino in Lake Tahoe during a celebrity golf tournament.

Roethlisberger's lawyer adamantly denied the allegations Tuesday, noting the woman never went to the authorities.

"Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone. The timing of the lawsuit and the absence of a criminal complaint and a criminal investigation are the most compelling evidence of the absence of any criminal conduct," David Cornwell said in a statement. "If an investigation is commenced, Ben will co-operate fully and Ben will be fully exonerated."

Cornwell did not immediately reply to a phone message and email seeking more comment.

The suit seeks at least US$390,000 in damages from the quarterback and also alleges hotel officials for Harrah's Lake Tahoe covered up the incident. The woman's lawsuit says she didn't file a criminal complaint because she feared Harrah's would side with Roethlisberger and she would be fired.

The Steelers and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said they were looking into the allegations against Roethlisberger, who has won two Super Bowls in his five-year career, and is about to report to training camp as the Steelers look to repeat as champions.

The woman was working as an executive casino host last July when she said Roethlisberger struck up a friendly conversation at her desk during the golf tournament.

The next night, she said he telephoned her to tell her his television sound system wasn't working and asked her to look at it. She said she was unable to find a technician so she handled it herself because she had been told it was important to please the celebrities.

In Roethlisberger's room she said she determined the TV was functioning properly but as she turned to leave, the six-foot-five, 240-pound quarterback blocked her exit, the suit claims.

The lawsuit said he grabbed her and started to kiss her. It said she was "shocked and stunned that this previously friendly man, that appeared to be a gentleman in her previous contacts with him was suddenly preventing her from leaving, was assaulting her and battering her."

She said she feared that because he was a football player he could or would physically harm her if she tried to fight him off, but that she objected and protested several times.

The lawsuit says the woman required hospitalization for treatment for depression after the alleged attack.

Efforts to reach the woman Tuesday were unsuccessful.

The woman's lawyer, Calvin R. Dunlap of Reno, declined to answer questions about the lack of a criminal complaint and why the civil action was brought a year after the incident allegedly took place.

"Neither I nor our client will be making any comment," Dunlap said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "We believe the matter should be resolved in court rather than in the media."

Teresa Duffy, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office in Douglas County, which includes part of Lake Tahoe, said no complaints were filed about such an incident either with sheriff's deputies or the district attorney's office.

The lawsuit also names eight Harrah's employees as defendants and alleges the cover-up involved the chief of security at Harrah's Lake Tahoe and was carried out with the knowledge of John Koster, president of Harrah's northern Nevada operations.

John Packer, spokesman for the hotel-casino, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

Harrah's Entertainment, the hotel-casino's parent company, declined comment.

"We don't comment on pending legal matters," Jacqueline Peterson said from company headquarters in Las Vegas.

Goodell said Tuesday he was looking into the various allegations.

"I don't know enough of the details, but it's a civil lawsuit, it's something that we obviously will look into," he said when asked about it in New York during an unrelated news conference. "I've been in touch with the Steelers about it."

Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett said the team is aware of the lawsuit, and "we are gathering information."

The Steelers clinched a 27-23 Super Bowl win over the Arizona Cardinals this year when Roethlisberger connected with Santonio Holmes for the winning touchdown in the game's closing seconds.

Last week Roethlisberger played in the 20th annual American Century Celebrity Golf Tournament at Lake Tahoe, finishing tied for 30th in the field of 89 golfers. It was not immediately known if he stayed at Harrah's.

In 2006, Roethlisberger made his first public appearance at the tournament after having nearly died in a motorcycle accident the month before.

He had seven hours of facial reconstruction surgery after ramming into a car that turned in front of him on a Pittsburgh street. He broke his jaw and nose and was thrown over the car onto the pavement. He was cited for riding without a licence and not wearing a helmet.

__________________
"Testing: CoolsatPro 4000, FLU-Pansat/Puff/LZMA, Pansat2700A & ViewsatExtreme 2000 for educational purposes only"

Tired of waiting days for fixes? Click here to get 3000 channels.. NO DOWNTIME, Guaranteed!

i heard that in the newspaper. I believe it is false why would he do that.

__________________
The San Diego Chargers is the best team in the NFL!!!!!!!!!!!



Unauthorized decoding of encrypted signals from either domestic or foreign providers is against the law. I personally do not, nor condone such activities.

How can you file a civil suit over something like rape and not file any criminal charges?I think she has just seen her chance to try to get a man with money to fork it over so she will be quiet.Just my opinion.

Tired of waiting days for fixes? Click here to get 3000 channels.. NO DOWNTIME, Guaranteed!