The woman who claims that she was sexually assaulted by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has faced a flood of evidence tending to show that she has fabricated the allegations for financial gain.

In an admitted effort to combat the appearance that it’s all about the money (which, of course, will cause many to believe that it really is all about the money), her lawyer has offered to dismiss the case in exchange for an admission from Roethlisberger that the incident occurred, along with a $100,000 donation to the Committee to Aid Abused Women.

Per the Associated Press, lawyer David Cornwell said that the offer will be rejected.

And, frankly, that’s the right decision. The evidence generated to date will make it very difficult for the woman to persuade a jury that non-consensual sex occurred between herself and Roethlisberger, which supports the notion that the case represents a money grab. So why would Roethlisberger admit guilt?

The fact that she’d drop the case in exchange for an apology and a donation to charity reflects, in our view, a desperate attempt to divert attention away from proof indicating that the claims are grossly exaggerated at best, flat-out made up at worst. But given the enormous damage such an admission would do to his image and off-field earning potential, Roethlisberger wouldn’t admit to raping the accuser if she were paying him $10 million to do it — especially since, as it appears based on the evidence generated to date, he is innocent.

As these two sides try the case in the court of public opinion, hollow stunts like this won’t persuade anyone that she’s telling the truth, based on the proof that has been introduced by the lawyers representing Roethlisberger and the accuser’s co-workers at Harrah’s. If the accuser and her lawyer hope to make people think that Roethlisberger did it, they need to come up with facts, not offers that they know Roethlisberger will never accept.

Moreover, the fact that the letter is coming to light two days before the Steelers host the Titans in the regular-season opener shows the accuser’s only real leverage against Roethlisberger flows from the potential distraction the case can create — and that she’s willing to use it.

But this is a development that should only make Roethlisberger feel better about the case, because if his accuser truly believed she had been raped, she surely wouldn’t be willing to walk away in exchange for a piece of paper in which the man who raped her says, “Oops. Sorry.”