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Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012 | 4:11 p.m.

Updated: 5:55 p.m. Thursday, April 15, 2010 | Posted: 12:02 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, 2010

NFL.com: Steelers Open To Roethlisberger Trade Offers

Trade Rumors Swirling

 

PITTSBURGH —

On the same day the Pittsburgh Steelers made their first official statements on the situation surrounding quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, trade rumors continued to fly on the Internet.

An article published on NFL.com quoted sources that said the Rooneys would "listen intently" if other teams called about Roethlisberger.

The article went on to say that the Steelers are "enamored" with Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and consider him a "franchise quarterback."

Bradford could go No. 1 overall in the draft to St. Louis, which is rumored to have interest in Roethlisberger.

Steelers President Art Rooney II said the Steelers have not talked to any other club about a trade.

Rooney said the team is ready to discipline Roethlisberger, but said the punishment will be coordinated with the NFL and won't pre-empt any league action.

Rooney said the final decision on the discipline he'll face won't be announced until after the draft.

Roethlisberger met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell Tuesday in New York, just one day after Georgia officials announced he would not be charged in a sexual assault investigation.

Roethlisberger faced allegations that he sexually assaulted a 20-year-old college student in the town of Milledgeville, Ga.

Prosecutors said on Monday the woman's accusations could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt and revealed that the accuser no longer wanted authorities to prosecute.

Still, Roethlisberger met with Goodell to discuss whether he violated the league's player conduct code.

SURVEY: Should Roethlisberger Be Suspended? AUDIO: Lawyer Says 2nd Roethlisberger Nevada Incident Investigated RAW VIDEO: Roethlisberger In NY For Goodell Meeting PHOTOS: Roethlisberger Before Goodell Meeting

When asked how the two-hour meeting went, Roethlisberger told reporters, "It was a very productive meeting."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league will review the facts and will follow up with Roethlisberger and the Steelers.

Late Monday evening, Roethlisberger read a prepared statement to media regarding the prosecutor's decision not to file charges against him in Georgia.

"I'd like to begin by expressing gratitude for the thorough investigation process in Georgia and the prosecutor's decision not to press charges," Roethlisberger said on Monday. "I know without a doubt it was the right conclusion. I'm happy to put this behind me and move forward."

Roethlisberger's accuser said he sexually assaulted her early March 5 at the Capital City nightclub, where he was drinking with friends shortly after his 28th birthday.

The district attorney said the investigation showed the woman was heavily intoxicated that night. She and her sorority sisters had met Roethlisberger at a different bar earlier in the night, and he invited them into a VIP area at the Capital City club and ordered them shots. When the woman walked down a hallway to a small bathroom, Roethlisberger followed her, District Attorney Fred Bright said.

What happened in that bathroom is unclear, Bright said. A doctor treated the woman for a cut and bruising and bleeding in the genital area, but doctors couldn't determine if it was the result of a sexual assault. Investigators said they did find male DNA on the woman, but there was not enough to determine whom it belonged to.

"We are not condoning Mr. Roethlisberger's actions that night," Bright said. "But we do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes."

As Pittsburgh's first-round draft pick out of Miami of Ohio in 2004, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to Super Bowl victories in 2006 and 2009.

Previous Stories: April 13, 2010: Bradshaw Cautions Big Ben: 'Fight The Temptation' April 12, 2010: Roethlisberger Talks To Media; No Sex Assault Charges Filed April 7, 2010: DA Gets Roethlisberger Case; 2nd Interview Never Happened April 7, 2010: Hines Ward Voices Support For Roethlisberger, Holmes April 1, 2010: Target 11: Ga. District Attorney To Get Roethlisberger Case Soon March 30, 2010: Roethlisberger Doesn't Show For Steelers' Off-Season Workouts March 26, 2010: Report: Manager Told By Accuser's Friend She Was In Bathroom With Roethlisberger March 26, 2010: Lawyers: Roethlisberger Accuser Still Cooperating With Investigators March 25, 2010: Roethlisberger's DNA Controversy: Did Police Ask For It Or Not? March 23, 2010: NFL Commissioner To Meet With Roethlisberger March 22, 2010: Tomlin Speaks Out On Roethlisberger Ordeal March 19, 2010: Steelers' Rooney: Wait And See On Roethlisberger Concern March 17, 2010: Georgia Officials Want To Talk To Roethlisberger's Other Accuser March 15, 2010: New Questions Surrounding Roethlisberger's Security March 12, 2010: WPXI Scopes Out Club Where Alleged Roethlisberger Assault Occurred March 12, 2010: Ga. Police Posed With Roethlisberger Before Alleged Assault March 12, 2010: NFL.com: Steelers' Roethlisberger On Rocky Ground With Rooneys March 12, 2010: Exclusive: Rick Earle Interviews Lead Investigator In Roethlisberger Case March 12, 2010: Attorney For Off-Duty Officer With Roethlisberger Talks To WPXI March 11, 2010: Maker Of 'Big Ben's Beef Jerky' Concerned About Allegations March 10, 2010: Roethlisberger’s Accuser To Return To Ga. College March 9, 2010: Roethlisberger Accuser Drops Out Of College, TMZ Reports March 8, 2010: Roethlisberger's Attorney: 'No Sexual Assault Occurred' March 8, 2010: Investigation Continues After Roethlisberger Accused Of Sex Assault

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