What you're describing is not hearsay by federal standards. If a witness recounts a party's statement (or even the statement of a party's agent), it's an admission, and not subject to the hearsay exclusion.
It is hearsay. I consider us the court (not tmz.com) and thus we're not hearing direct testimony of someone hearing a conversation. I don't consider reporters to be purveyors of truth, so the reporter doing the story must certainly be taken into account when considering the "closeness" to the source.
If the source came forward and told his story in front of all, THEN it would not be hearsay. What we're getting is some reporter claiming that some source only he knows is telling him that Roethlistberger told him something.
In fact, it's not even completely clear that the source told the reporter that he had it directly from Roethlisberger. The source just claimed to know that Roethlisberger "insisted it was purely consensual". Nothing about how the source had his (or her) information. That part could have been first hand or third hand, for all we know. (Even if it were first hand, the report would still be hearsay, as argued above).
In essence, I realize Ben called the charges false by calling them reckless.
I haven't listened to his statement, but media are reporting him as having said (among other things): "The allegations against me are reckless
and false"