Oct 16, 2002 4 min read

GREENSBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis won’t be charged with sexual assault because a prosecutor said Tuesday that several people have said the woman’s uncle – who first spoke to police – had talked about extorting money from the popular player. Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck said it would be impossible to prove sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt with so many questions being raised about the accusation.

No charges have been filed against the woman or her uncle, Charles Walters of Mount Pleasant, whom police said first reported the assault when they arrived at the nightclub.

Peck said Bettis has acknowledged consensual sexual contact with the woman, but the woman said Bettis forced her to perform oral sex after the two of them left the lounge in Greensburg, about 25 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, on Aug. 21. She told police she got into Bettis’ vehicle after he autographed a football for her and that he drove to a side street and assaulted her.

Authorities are still not identifying the 22-year-old woman because her allegation involved sexual assault.

Although Peck said his office has prosecuted sexual assault cases based primarily on the victim’s word, this case was different because of what investigators know about her uncle.

Several witnesses told authorities that Walters had talked of various moneymaking schemes, including one in which Bettis would be accused of sexual assault and then sued.

“Walters surmised that a sports figure would readily settle the suit regardless of its merits,” Peck said.

At least two people came forward after the woman’s accusations were made public in early September – and investigators eventually tracked down two dozen people – who said they had heard the woman’s uncle talk about various schemes in the past several years, Peck said.

One involved running up credit card debts, hiding the money accumulated during the spree, and then filing bankruptcy. Peck said Walters filed bankruptcy and had about $80,000 in credit card and other debts settled in March 2000.

Another involved luring a Steeler into a fight at the same nightclub where the woman met Bettis. Peck said investigators determined that somebody taunted Bettis and tried to start a fight with him at the nightclub in July 2001, but several Steelers intervened to stop it.

Finally, some of the witnesses said Walters talked of using a female accomplice to make a sexual assault charge against Bettis.

Walters has never been charged criminally in connection with any of the schemes the witnesses detailed – and Peck says investigators still don’t have proof that he did anything but talk about the schemes. Further, Bettis was shown a picture of Walters and was unable to identify him, Peck said.

Still, Peck released Walters’ name to give credibility to his reasons for deciding not to prosecute Bettis, and said Walters could be charged if investigators can link him conclusively to any of the reported schemes.

Walters has not returned several phone calls since his name surfaced in the investigation weeks ago, and didn’t immediately return a call Tuesday after Peck’s news conference.

Bettis and the rest of the Steelers didn’t practice Tuesday, and he could not immediately be reached. His agent, Lamont Smith, was traveling and didn’t immediately return a call for comment.

But Bettis’ attorney, Robert Del Greco Jr. said they would respect any decision Peck makes about whether or not to prosecute the woman or her uncle.

Del Greco, a former Allegheny County prosecutor, said an extortion case might be difficult to prove, so Peck would have to decide whether or not filing charges “is more trouble than its worth.”

Del Greco said the case might not die even if Peck declines to file charges, however.

“Jerome has asked me to explore a potential civil case (against the woman and her uncle), but we have agreed to wait until the season is over in order to do that,” Del Greco said.

The woman’s home telephone is unlisted. Another number she gave to authorities is now disconnected.

Bettis, 30, perhaps the Steelers’ most popular player in recent years, has never had any public problems off the field. He came to Pittsburgh in the 1996 season after playing three seasons with the Rams and ranks 12th on the NFL all-time rushing yardage list with 11,169 yards.