No. 7 was finally sacked by the one player he could not escape: himself.

Renowned on the field for being able to scramble from his opponent's clutches, Ben Roethlisberger was unable off the field to avoid the consequences of a potent mix of alcohol, women and questionable conduct.

Numerous female witnesses to Mr. Roethlisberger's night of heavy partying in Milledgeville, Ga., last month described unflattering behavior by the quarterback that included providing alcohol to underage students, calling them "bitches" and making a vulgar, sexual remark to several women.

A Georgia district attorney declined last week to prosecute Mr. Roethlisberger on allegations that he raped a 20-year-old woman inside a nightclub bathroom while bar-hopping with friends near his off-season home.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell nevertheless on Wednesday issued a provisional six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

He said the quarterback "contributed to the irresponsible consumption of alcohol by purchasing [or facilitating the purchase of] alcoholic beverages for underage college students, at least some of whom were likely already intoxicated."

"There is no question that the excessive consumption of alcohol that evening put the students and yourself at risk," the commissioner said in a letter to Mr. Roethlisberger outlining the suspension.

"The Personal Conduct Policy also states that discipline is appropriate for conduct that undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players. By any measure, your conduct satisfies that standard."

Mr. Roethlisberger and his friends, including Steelers tackle Willie Colon, visited a half-dozen bars March 4-5, attracting attention as soon as they hit downtown Milledgeville, home to Georgia College & State University.

Student Victoria Garofalo told the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that at one bar called The Brick she told Mr. Colon she was underage -- something confirmed by the player during his own interview.

"Colon stated that he was flirting with Garofalo until he found out that she was 19 years old," the report said.

She also said she told him that two friends -- the accuser and a woman named Ann Marie Lubatti -- who later drank at the Capital City nightclub, the site of the alleged assault, were 20.

"According to Garofalo, Roethlisberger was standing next to the group while this conversation took place. Someone else in the group, who Garofalo could not identify, stated, 'I'm 15' in a joking manner, which Roethlisberger responded [to] with a comment.

"Garofalo was not certain exactly what Roethlisberger said, however, knew that he commented on that statement. As a result, Garofalo was certain that Roethlisberger heard the conversation regarding their ages and that both he and Colon were clear on how old the girls were."

At one point Mr. Roethlisberger discussed a sexually provocative name tag the accuser was wearing that she had gotten during a birthday party earlier in the evening.

Several witnesses said the name tag prompted Mr. Roethlisberger to state crudely that he enjoys having sex with women.

At one point during the evening, a bartender at The Brick said a student and co-worker named Aliesha Scholten asked Mr. Roethlisberger if he wanted to go back to their sorority house.

"Hell no," Mr. Roethlisberger is said to have responded. "That's a lawsuit waiting to happen."

It could not be determined with certainty from reading the witness statements whether Mr. Roethlisberger personally bought or directly handed any of the underage women a drink, and students gave conflicting accounts.

Off-duty Pennsylvania State Trooper Edward J. Joyner, one of Mr. Roethlisberger's friends who also worked as an assistant, paid the tab at Capital City with $160 in cash.

A friend of the accuser, Nicole Biancofiore -- underage herself and with a fake ID -- told investigators that "she does know that Ben Roethlisberger bought her friend, [the alleged victim], drinks all night but does not know what kind of drinks they were.

"Biancofiore stated that she knows that Roethlisberger purchased drinks for many underage girls at all three bars in downtown Milledgeville."

Another underage woman, Kelly Colsson, said the quarterback bought her a drink, though he did not know she was a minor.

Even as women crowded around Mr. Roethlisberger, the quarterback's entourage -- including Trooper Joyner and off-duty Coraopolis police Officer Anthony J. Barravecchio -- tried to ensure that no one snapped photos of Mr. Roethlisberger with alcohol.

"Joyner stated that he made sure that none of the girls taking a photograph with Roethlisberger had any alcohol in the photos. He stated that alcohol in the photographs would not look good for Roethlisberger's image."

Ms. Garofalo said "the bodyguards were deleting photos from people's phones that depicted Roethlisberger drinking."

Avery Lane, a friend of Mr. Roethlisberger, also lent a hand.

"Avery Lane assisted in helping make sure that Roethlisberger was not holding any drinks in any of the photos. The group generally does that so that there are no crazy public photos floating around," according to his interview with investigators.

At Capital City, Mr. Roethlisberger and his friends took over a back room where only women were allowed to enter.

Elizabeth Brooks told investigators that Mr. Roethlisberger bought at least two rounds of shots for the women in the VIP section.

"Brooks noted that Roethlisberger asked the girls what shots they wanted him to order. When the shots arrived, girls were taking them off the bar and passing them back into the crowd," a report said.

Ms. Brooks left the area when Mr. Roethlisberger allegedly said something that offended one of her friends, Kylie Wilmer.

"This was in response to a comment that Roethlisberger made when he purchased a round of shots for the girls in the VIP room. Roethlisberger stated, 'All my bitches, take some shots,' however Brooks stated that he said it in a 'party way.'

"Wilmer became upset at the comment and stated, 'Who does he think he is' and stormed out of the VIP area."

Caitin Smith, another student, described how Mr. Roethlisberger "bought alcohol shots in mass amounts and left them on the bar for anyone to take."

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