McNulty says that when Roethlisberger was staying at Harrah's, he called her to his room claiming his TV was broken. When she got there, the TV was fine, and he pushed her onto the bed and raped her. When she reported the assault to security chief Guy Hyder, he said that the president of the casino was friends with the quarterback and that "most girls would feel lucky to get to have sex with someone like Ben Roethlisberger." McNulty was afraid to report the assault to the police, for fear that Harrah's higher-ups would side with Roethlisberger and she would be fired. She fell into a depression, and while she was hospitalized, Hyder got keys to her house from her parents, and deleted files from her computer. Needless to say, no one from Harrah's ever investigated the rape.

After the AP reported on McNulty's lawsuit, ESPN told reporters not to pick up the story, ostensibly because criminal charges had not been filed. ESPN news director Vince Doria said, "We don't think it meets our standard of reporting." But Mike Florio from NBC Sports says, "we're convinced that the Roethlisberger story initially was ignored due to concerns that ESPN would be jeopardizing its access to the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, who also happens to play for the team with the most loyal and rabid fan base in America."

Eventually ESPN did report on the civil suit, but at every step of the way, Ben Roethlisberger had friends with a vested interest in keeping McNulty's story quiet. And that, says Jaclyn Friedman of Yes Means Yes, "is what rape culture looks like." She points out that ESPN is "the same network whose sideline reporter is currently being exploited all over the ‘net in a peeping tom video." She continues,

You'd think that would make them more sympathetic to the sexual exploitation of women just trying to do their job, but they're too focused on protecting access to the star athletes who are their cash cows to even do their basic job as journalists. That's rape culture. When our media won't talk about rape, people think it doesn't happen, and the rapists face no consequences. That emboldens rapists.

Friedman also calls out Perez Hilton, who classily hints, "It is a little strange that she didn't press criminal charges and waited for a year (and a Superbowl win) before taking action," and says, "Eh, you'll probably just have to give her some money to shut her up." Friedman writes, "When women are too afraid of being re-victimized by the courts and the media to come forward, and when the public gets the message that women who accuse men of rape are lying or did something to deserve it, the cycle continues."

Oddly, G.D. at Feministe sees the media as having the opposite effect:

Obviously, the "accuser is crazy/an extortionist" defense will be made by plenty of fans and people with a vested interest in the suspect's exoneration, regardless of the facts (or a dearth of them). But the coverage is often unavoidably prejudicial the other way. While the accuser's identity is (understandably and necessarily) protected, we see b-roll of the defendant solemnly arriving at the courthouse in an understated suit and being mobbed by a throng of reporters while the charges against him are outlined by the newscaster. He doesn't speak on his lawyer's orders. Mug shots surface. He seems…guilty.

It's true that being accused of a crime, even if you're later acquitted, can tarnish a celebrity's image. But remember when Kobe Bryant's accuser was found to have another man's semen in in her body (which wasn't directly relevant, since Bryant had admitted to sleeping with her)? Women who accuse powerful men of rape basically have to consent to public scrutiny of their sexual histories, and often get branded as sluts or golddiggers in the process. The media is hardly "unavoidably prejudicial" in their favor.

Kate Harding at Broadsheet has a disturbing prediction about how the rest of this case will go down:

Meanwhile, Roethlisberger's lawyer is telling journalists, "Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone; especially Andrea McNulty." Especially her? How the hell do you especially not rape someone? "These other women, I merely did not rape, but that one I extra super double did not rape!" Huh? Oh wait, I think I get it. I've got a dollar that says we're about to find out that he doesn't deny having sex with her, but she wanted it. And we all know most girls would feel lucky to get to have sex with Ben Roethlisberger, and men totally only rape when they can't otherwise get laid, so why would he need to rape this one? Another dollar says the "especially" means we're also about to hear that dude, she's not even that hot — the same defense Kobe Bryant used — and nobody ever rapes ugly women, so there you go. It's her word against his, and really, who are you going to believe?

Unfortunately, many rape cases are "her word against his," and when the defendant is famous, a lot of people spend a lot of energy trying to discredit "her word." "Say it with me, folks," says Harding, "That's rape culture."

ESPN Finally Acknowledges Accusations Against Ben Roethlisberger [USA Today]
Suit Contends Hotel Covered Up Rape By Ben Roethlisberger [RGJ.com]
When Sports Culture Meets Rape Culture [Broadsheet]
This Is What Rape Culture Looks Like [Yes Means Yes]
Covering Rape [Feministe]
Last Word On ESPN's Civil Lawsuit Policy [NBC Sports]

Earlier this year, Parker was profiled in the New York Times, and her "reproductive life" was part of the discussion. Parker is a favorite on her team, a star in the league and "being counted on to nurture women's basketball." So her pregnancy doesn't only affect her: "W.N.B.A. Commissioner Donna Orender said her initial reaction to Parker's pregnancy was a quiet sigh of resignation," Karen Crouse of the Times wrote. Orender said later: "[The timing of her pregnancy was] a very public discussion that hasn't happened before. I do think that's a good thing for women who go through these issues often in silence or alone. Candace can be a very usable symbol of how you can have a family and a career." But! On message boards, Parker was called "selfish." She disagrees: "My whole career has been trying to please people in basketball. Now it's time to please myself. For me, family has always come first." She did have to give up a $1.5 million deal to play for a Russian club.

According to the Times, there are a dozen moms playing in the league. And then there's Brynn Cameron, who plays for the University of Southern California team — she's a single mom, with a two-year-old son by former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Matt Leinart. But even more visible is 36-year-old three-time WNBA MVP Lisa Leslie (Parker's teammate), who recently announced that she is retiring to spend more time with her family. Basketball, for her, was tough to balance with family life. "I love being a wife, I enjoy my husband and our time. I love being a mom. I'm really passionate about raising a child and being there for her. For me, I just see it's really hard to give 100 percent to everything." Leslie's daughter is 19 months old, and Leslie missed the 2007 season to give birth.

While many female athletes have children, pregnancy in basketball seems more high profile and more dramatic than say, tennis or golf (Annika Sorenstam retired from the L.P.G.A. Tour in December because, at 38, she wants to have kids.) Is it because of the idea that a knocked-up woman has somehow "let down" her team? Is it because of the chance of injury or sheer jostling a pregnant player endures? Candace Parker doesn't seem to let any of this faze her, telling the LA Times: "I'm proud of my child, excited about my child and I'm excited about the opportunity to have a child and be an athlete."

Candace Parker Could Be The Next Big Thing [LA Times]
Candace Parker Is Balancing Career And Family [NY Times]
U.S.C.'s Cameron Balances Basketball And Motherhood [NY Times]
Lisa Leslie To Retire From Sparks At Season's End [AP]

The Good:
As Christian Siriano would say (first and last time, I promise), Posh looks so Audrey I can't stand it.
I'm sure it says something terrible about me that when Lauren Conrad wore this exact same Dolce & Gabbana to the Dark Knight premiere, I made her a "Bad." But somehow it works on Michelle Kwan!
I should admit here that I've never watched One Tree Hill. Yet for some reason I've always liked Sophia Bush, who always seems to look far more elegant than anyone would expect.
Lisa Leslie knows how to work her long lines.
College softball player Angela Tincher looks adorable and summery.

The Bad:
Obviously, Kate Walsh is stunning — but what's with the Malibu Barbie costume?
I feel kinda bad calling out poor Alan Thicke's wife — but then, she's not exactly trying to fly under the radar with this one.
I have the non-driver's reverence for racer Danica Patrick, and I totally get wanting to wear the most inappropriate driving shoes on your day off. But the look's just not working, and GW-style, I cannot tell a lie.
Kourtney Kardashian seems to kind of want to go classy with this one. But she's conflicted about that desire.
Brittny Gastineau is not troubled by any such conflicts. She makes her priorities clear. Also her breasts.

The Ugly:
Now here, my friends, is a dilemma. Will the prize go to:
Girl Next Door Kendra Wilkinson...
Fellow GND Bridget Marquardt
...or Playboy model Sara Jean Underwood?

Images via Getty

• DKNY Jeans has announced a "partnership" with Rachel Bilson, who will be doing her own denim line for the brand. "Fans of 'The O.C.' really like DKNY Jeans, and I know they make great stuff, so I thought it could be good... I can't draw at all, so I won't be doing any sketches, but I am learning to sew," she says. [WWD, sub req'd]
  
• Good for designer Bradley Bayou for organizing a forum on the fashion industry and eating disorders. Bayou said fashion editors and the CFDA are at great fault for the growing number of young women developing eating disorders: "We have girls getting very sick because they can't beat the system and look like what's on the cover of the magazine...There are two ways to become a size zero: Starve yourself or take drugs. Or both. And yes, [models] all do it." [WWD, sub req'd]
  
• "She is a very modest woman." That's Fashion Fringe co-founder Colin McDowell on Donatella Versace. Um, sure. [Fashion Week Daily]

• Guess: Launching an eco-friendly capsule collection in April. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Make your own score for Miuccia Prada's trippy and twisted animated short "Trembling Blossoms" on Prada.com. [WWD, 1st item]
• Not gonna lie: I sorta want a Jean-Michel Basquiat Uniqlo t-shirt. [WWD, 2nd item]
• Alber Elbaz has started designing bridal for the House of Lanvin under the label Collection Blanche which — oh the irony — contains very few white dresses. [Vogue UK]
• The 2008 international fur and leather exhibition, Mifur, will be paying special homage to the late fashion designer Gianfranco Ferre, who loved him an animal pelt like it was nobody's business. [Fashion Week Daily]
• French Connection's profits are down 22% this year. FCUK! [Independent]
• Diddy vs. J.Lo: Battle of the fragrances! [BellaSugar]
• Henry Holland Easter eggs: Just what humanity needs. [Sassybella]
• What? Men do more shopping online than women? [WSJ]

And taking advantage of the print media doldrums, the network dropped the big dollars to buy up Nikki Finke, Robin Givhan, Lisa DePaulo, Dana Priest, Kim Masters, Sharon Waxman...name your favorite lady journalist here. And they all had a 24-hour-news outlet on which they could weigh in on anything they wanted. I bet they would all pool their interests and experiences and find a common theme! It would be something like, "How men are fucking up the world."

Thank God there's sports to keep them all distracted!

Why A Cable TV Network Is Hiring The Ink-Stained. [WSJ]

• Ann Coulter refers to self in third-person, suggests she may own a pair of testicles. [Radar]
  
• Sad news for female sports fans: ESPN is apparently just as sexist and hostile a workplace as you'd think it would be. [NYPost]
  
• Egypt has finally outlawed female circumcision. [Salon]
  
• Meanwhile, a little farther to the northwest, the country of Portugal is finally set to make abortion legal. [Ms]
  
• The best-loved taunts in the war between the sexes. [DailyMail]

• Young Nepalese girls — as young as 10 — are routinely sold into slavery in Indian circuses by their parents. And yes, a lot of them are raped. [Telegraph]
• Women may be a larger part of the spread of HIV in Africa than previously thought, particularly in Kenya, Cote d'Ivoire and Lesotho. [Economist]
• One woman in the NY Times' obituary section today: Architect Margaret Hefland, 59, former president of the NYC chapter of the AIA. [NYTimes]