RENO, Nev.— A former Harrah's employee has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit that accuses Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of raping another worker and alleges that managers of the Lake Tahoe hotel-casino covered up the assault.

Stacy Dingman, the former director of hotels at Harrah's, is one of nine defendants named in the lawsuit filed last month in Washoe County District Court. She said she is the former best friend of the woman who claims the two-time Super Bowl winner raped her during a celebrity golf tournament in July 2008.

Brad Johnson, a Reno lawyer representing Dingman, said in the motion filed Monday that there is no evidence or witnesses to support any of the allegations in the lawsuit.

NAPA, Calif. — Tom Cable went on the defensive and the NFL said it would investigate reports that the Oakland Raiders coach got into a fight that sent one of his assistants to the hospital.NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is looking into the situation to try to determine the facts of what happened.A day after calling it "an internal issue that we are dealing with," Cable denied anything transpired at all with defensive assistant Randy Hanson earlier this month. Cable allegedly punched Hanson in the jaw.A report filed with the Napa Police Department describes an unnamed 41-year-old Raiders assistant coach being treated at the Queen of the Valley Hospital for a jaw injury, which the victim alleges was caused by an unidentified member of the Raiders coaching staff on Aug. 5.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Ivan Rodriguez, the 14-time All-Star catcher who started his career with the Rangers at age 19, was acquired by Texas in a trade with the Houston Astros for minor league pitcher Matt Nevarez and two players to be named later.The 37-year-old Rodriguez signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Astros in March and hit .251 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs in 93 games.Rodriguez won 10 of his 13 Gold Gloves with the Rangers and helped lead the franchise's only three playoff teams in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

DETROIT — The Detroit Red Wings signed Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year, $1.5 million contract in the hopes that the veteran forward can help make up for some of the Red Wings' significant losses.