from www.washingtonpost.com – Nevada law enforcement officials do not intend to begin a criminal investigation of the accusation in a civil lawsuit that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sexually assaulted a woman in a Lake Tahoe hotel room last year, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Teresa Duffy, a Douglas County sheriff’s deputy, told the AP that an investigation would be opened only if the woman accusing Roethlisberger files a criminal complaint or if another person witnessed the alleged incident.

The woman filed a lawsuit against Roethlisberger and eight other defendants Friday. The lawsuit said the woman did not contact police after the alleged incident because she believed that other hotel employees would support Roethlisberger.

Attorney David Cornwell, who represents Roethlisberger, denied that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted the woman. Cornwell cited the lack of a criminal investigation as evidence that the woman’s accusations in the lawsuit are without merit.