Alone Among Media Outlets, ESPN Ignores Ben Roethlisberger Story

The civil lawsuit accusing Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting a woman has been major news all across the sports media all day Tuesday -- except at ESPN, which has maintained silence across all its platforms.

The Worldwide Leader has run nothing on the Roethlisberger case -- not at ESPN.com or ESPN Radio or any of its several television networks. When an automated headline about the Roethlisberger case appeared on Roethlisberger's ESPN profile page, it was quickly removed.

More: Goodell Says NFL Will Look Into Allegations

FanHouse contacted ESPN spokesman Mac Nwulu via e-mail, and he issued the following statement:

"At this point, we are not reporting the allegations against Ben Roethlisberger because no criminal complaint has been filed. As far as we know, this is a civil lawsuit that Roethlisberger has yet to address publicly."

Roethlisberger's lawyer, however, has addressed the lawsuit publicly. An Associated Press article that is running on several major sports Web sites (but not on ESPN.com) contains the following:

"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. If an investigation is commenced, Ben will cooperate fully and Ben will be fully exonerated," David Cornwell, Roethlisberger's lawyer, said in a statement released early Tuesday.

Reached in a follow-up phone interview, Nwulu told FanHouse that ESPN does not consider Cornwell's response enough to warrant ESPN reporting on the issue. Nwulu added that ESPN's policy, while guiding the lack of coverage on Tuesday, does not mean ESPN will never cover the Roethlisberger story. Nwulu said that ESPN will continue to monitor how it impacts both Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

However, Nwulu stressed that ESPN strives to be very cautious with civil suits that impugn a person's reputation or character. He added that ESPN considers both the subject's track record and whether similar allegations might impact the subject's professional performance.

While the story has been absent from ESPN, it has played out on Twitter. ESPN commentator Jemele Hill referenced the story in a Twitter post, as did NFL reporter Adam Schefter, who will begin working for ESPN next month.

But no one at ESPN has reported on the story in any official capacity. And that led the legendary Associated Press sports writer Dave Goldberg to tweet asking how ESPN can "ignore an obvious story and call yourself the 'worldwide leader'?''

Ben Roethlisberger Photos

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, front walks onto the 12th green followed by former NBA star Michael Jordan, left, during the American Century Golf Championship on Saturday, July 18, 2009, at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev. (AP Photo/Brad Horn)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throws a football to a fan on the 17th hole during the American Century Golf Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nev., on Saturday, July 18, 2009. (AP Photo/Brad Horn)

NFL football player Ben Roethlisberger arrives at the 2009 ESPY Awards Arrivals at Nokia Theatre LA Live on July 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. 2009 ESPY Awards - Arrivals Nokia Theatre LA Live Los Angeles, CA United States July 15, 2009 Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com To license this image (16869798), contact FilmMagic.com

Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 15: ***EXCLUSIVE*** (L-R) Comedians Andy Samberg and Seth Meyers with NFL players Ben Roethlisbergerand Santonio Holmes backstage during the 2009 ESPY Awards held at Nokia Theatre LA Live on July 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The 17th annual ESPYs will air on Sunday, July 19 at 9PM ET on ESPN. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for ESPY) *** Local Caption *** Andy Samberg;Seth Meyers;Ben Roethlisberger;Santonio Holmes

Getty Images for ESPY

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 15: ***EXCLUSIVE*** NFL player Ben Roethlisberger backstage during the 2009 ESPY Awards held at Nokia Theatre LA Live on July 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The 17th annual ESPYs will air on Sunday, July 19 at 9PM ET on ESPN. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for ESPY) *** Local Caption *** Ben Roethlisberger

Getty Images for ESPY

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 15: ***EXCLUSIVE*** NFL players Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes backstage during the 2009 ESPY Awards held at Nokia Theatre LA Live on July 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The 17th annual ESPYs will air on Sunday, July 19 at 9PM ET on ESPN. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Ben Roethlisberger;Santonio Holmes

Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 15: Football players Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Colon and Darnell Stapleton arrive at the 2009 ESPY Awards held at Nokia Theatre LA Live on July 15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The 17th annual ESPYs will air on Sunday, July 19 at 9PM ET on ESPN. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for ESPY) *** Local Caption *** Ben Roethlisberger;Willie Colon;Darnell Stapleton

Getty Images for ESPY