DA: No charges vs. Steelers' star QB

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who won't face criminal charges after a 20-year-old college student accused him of sexually assaulting her inside a nightclub's bathroom, said Monday he knows he'll have to work to regain the trust of teammates and fans.

Ocmulgee Circuit District Attorney Fred Bright said Monday that after exhaustive interviews and inconclusive medical exams, the student's accusations could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Bright also revealed the young accuser no longer wanted him to prosecute.

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Bright said he continued to investigate the case, but ultimately decided against moving forward partly because he was never able to find out what happened behind the bathroom door at the Capital City club.

"Here the overall circumstances do not lead to a viable prosecution. If they did, I would be pursuing it vigorously," Bright said. "We do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes."

Roethlisberger in his first public remarks since the accusations on March 5 read a 74-second statement Monday at a podium in the Steelers locker room.

"The prosecutor's decision not to bring charges, I know without a doubt, is the right conclusion," said Roethlisberger, who was wearing a red sports shirt and light-colored slacks. "I don't intend to discuss any details related to the events of Georgia. I'm happy to put this behind me and move forward."

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. He frequently has donated time and money to charities.

But off-field problems have come along with his championships and $102 million contract. In 2006, he defied his coach's orders and rode his motorcycle without a helmet -- and wound up with a concussion, broken jaw and other injuries after a wreck.

* JETS' NEW WR HOLMES SUSPENDED 4 GAMES BY NFL: Newly acquired Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes was suspended Monday without pay by the NFL for the first four regular-season games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

The league announced the suspension a day after the Jets acquired the talented but troubled Holmes from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round pick in this month's draft.

* REDSKINS' CAMPBELL SIGNS TENDER, STILL SEEKS TRADE: Jason Campbell has signed his $3.1 million tender with the Washington Redskins, taking him off the market as a restricted free agent while leaving open the possibility of a trade.

Campbell was given permission to explore a trade after Donovan McNabb was acquired from Philadelphia last week. Campbell couldn't find a team that would make a suitable offer to him as a restricted free agent, so he signed the tender Monday.

* 16 PLAYERS TO ATTEND DRAFT: Sam Bradford, Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy are among 16 players who have accepted invitations to the NFL draft.

The Oklahoma quarterback and the defensive tackles from Nebraska and Oklahoma are projected to be the top three picks on April 22.

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Updated 12:16 a.m.

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. -- Authorities announced Monday that they will not charge Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after a college student accused him of sexually assaulting her at a nightclub last month.

Ocmulgee Circuit District Attorney Fred Bright said the 20-year-old student's accusations could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and her lawyer said in a letter that she did not want to press charges.

"Therefore there will be no arrests made nor criminal prosecution against Mr. Roethlisberger," Bright said.

The woman told an officer Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her early in the morning of March 5 in a small bathroom at the Capital City night club, where he was drinking with friends shortly after his 28th birthday.

Bright said the investigation showed the woman was also drinking 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.

What happened next is unclear, Bright said. A doctor who examined the woman could not say for sure if she was raped, and while some DNA was found, it was not enough to make testing feasible.

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

He added: "I know when I have a case and I know when I don't. And I do not have enough evidence to convince 12 jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Roethlisberger was guilty of rape."

Roethlisberger was seen out with a few friends at several different bars that night. The Capital City club is a popular spot for students at the neighboring Georgia College & State University. Roethlisberger owns a home about 30 miles north on Lake Oconee, in central Georgia.

The two-time Super Bowl champ is being sued by a different woman who says he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel and casino, an allegation he denies. Roethlisberger has not been criminally charged in that case either and has claimed counter-damages in the lawsuit.

Roethlisberger has not taken part in recent offseason workouts with the Steelers.

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. He frequently has donated time and money to charities, and his charitable foundation awards a police dog to a department near every Steelers road opponent.

But off-field problems have come along with his championships and $102 million contract. In 2006, he defied his coach's orders and rode his motorcycle without a helmet -- and wound up with a concussion, broken jaw and other injuries after a wreck.

And while Roethlisberger has a reputation for patiently signing autographs and posing for pictures while out in public, he also is known for occasionally inelegant behavior in Pittsburgh.

Early in his career, he was photographed -- obviously after drinking -- wearing a T-shirt reading "Drink Like a Champion."