Monday. “But then Mr. Garland came out and threw water on the whole thing by saying his client is innocent of all charges. He came right out and said it. 'This did not happen.' I don’t know how you can continue an investigation after that. It would be a waste of the state’s money and resources.”

Garland made the comment on Monday to the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, saying there was no evidence any wrongdoing occurred. That was enough for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

“All’s well that ends well,” said Tom Davis, chief investigator of the GBI. “It looked like we were going to have to press charges but apparently we can spare ourselves the trouble. I’m just glad that lawyer spoke up when he did. We were about to waste a lot of people’s time and we were about to besmirch the good name of an obviously innocent NFL quarterback. I wish I knew how Garland figured it out. He must be one hell of an investigator.”

In Milledgeville, stunned residents reacted to the sudden decision to drop the investigation.

“Wow. I thought for sure he was guilty but I guess I was wrong,” said Candace Miller, a student at Georgia State University. “This is a real stunner because I know that girl and she doesn’t seem like the type of person to make up a lie. I guess she must have some serious issues. I hope this whole thing doesn’t prevent Ben from visiting Milledgeville again. I’d love to hook up with him some night now that I know he’s not a rapist.”

For the parents of the accuser’s, the announcement from Roethlisberger’s lawyer was bittersweet. On the one hand, they know their daughter was not sexually assaulted. On the other hand, they must now deal with the reality that she is a lying gold digger.

“We love our daughter and are relieved to hear she was not hurt in any way,” said the accuser’s mom, who asked not to be identified. “But we are ashamed of her for making this story up. She swore she was telling the truth until indisputable proof emerged that she was lying. You heard it right from the lawyer’s mouth: No evidence. And if you can't trust a guy who has represented several high profile defendants that were all probably guilty, who can you trust?”