BREAKING NEWS:: Kobe Bryant charged with felony sexual assault

[Mavs_Rule2003]

Professional basketball star Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault Friday afternoon, Eagle County, Colorado, District Attorney Mark Hurlbert announced.

Bryant was charged with one count of sexual assault, a class three felony. If convicted, Bryant could serve four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation, Hurlbert said.

Bryant's attorney, Pamela Mackey, planned to hold a news briefing in Los Angeles, California, after Hurlbert's news conference, her office said. It is not known if Bryant will attend.

A 19-year-old woman alleges she was a victim of sexual misconduct by Bryant on June 30 at the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, just west of the Vail ski resort. A hotel employee, the woman filed a police complaint the following day.

No details of the victim's allegations have been made public, and a judge has sealed information in the case.

The 24-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star has told the Los Angeles Times, "I would never do anything like that."

Hotel manager Paul Pastoor said Bryant stayed at the hotel from June 30 to July 2.

Eagle County Sheriff Joseph Hoy issued an arrest warrant, and Bryant -- who is married and the father of a daughter born in January -- returned to Colorado from Los Angeles to surrender on July 4. He was released on $25,000 bond.

Hurlbert, who was consulted on the decision to issue an arrest warrant but reportedly disagreed on the timing, has three options: to file a formal charge against Bryant, to file no charge or to ask a grand jury to conduct an inquiry.

He has held back on any announcement while completing an investigation and awaiting test results from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

A hearing was held Thursday on a newspaper request to release police dispatch records of two calls to the victim's home in the past year responding to noncriminal actions. The hearing lasted about 90 minutes, but no decision is expected from the judge before July 25.

The alleged victim is a former high school cheerleader who friends describe as honest and ambitious, even auditioning for American Idol last year

Micah Bernhardt, is one of her friends.

"She was real good on select choir, sang in graduation, she sang in a lot of football games, a lot of basketball games, doing the national anthems," Bernhardt said.

If charges are filed, Bryant's next court date would be August 6, Hurlbert has indicated.

Bryant's image as a role model has fueled his popularity with fans, and fellow players have rallied to his defense.

The 6-foot-6 guard was a member of the Lakers team that won three-straight NBA championships in the 2000-2002 seasons. He was named most valuable player in the NBA All-Star game in the 2002 season.

Bryant turned pro out of high school seven years ago. He was a first-round draft pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996 and later that year was traded to the Lakers, where he has played ever since.

[TripleDipping]

There's another similar article on ESPN.com. Bryant admits committing adultery with the lady but denies the sexual assault charges. He may face prison terms of 4 years up to life if found guilty.

There goes the squeky clean image.

[Mavs_Rule2003]

WOw!..now he is admitting!..lol..i guess it is kinda like Webber admitting to lesser charges to get less punishmnet!

Pathetic!Q

[u2sarajevo]

Not the same thing at all. Kobe said he committed adultery. That means he is acknowledging having sex with the woman (outside of his marriage, making it adultery). He did not admit to rape. Rape is a crime, adultery is not (unless you are his wife).

[Ummmmm Ok]

once again, like every other star, he will get almost to no community service and will serve no jail time. Gotta love being a NBA player/Celebrity.

[u2sarajevo]

Yeah, I often wonder how a "fair and impartial" jury can be selected for such cases. I mean the Lakers, you either hate them or love them. I hate them, so I doubt I would be selected for the jury.

[MavsFanFinley]

Text of a statement released at the request of Vanessa Bryant, through her husband's attorneys, Harold A. Haddon and Pamela Robillard Mackey, and his agent Rob Pelinka, after the Los Angeles Lakers star was charged with sexual assault in Colorado:

I know that my husband has made a mistake -- the mistake of adultery.

He and I will have to deal with that within our marriage, and we will do so. He is not a criminal. I know that he did not commit a crime, he did not assault anyone.

He is a loving and kind husband and father. I believe in his innocence.

Because I know him to be innocent, I will stand by him and we will face this together. I will give him all the strength and support he needs to face these false accusations. I will not let him face these accusations alone.

I know Kobe better than anyone. The great person you see on the court and in the public is a far greater person off the court.

[kg_veteran]

I'll reserve judgment on this one, but it doesn't look good for Kobe.

[Mavs_Rule2003]

Man, though i hate lakers, i used to like KOBE. nothing can be said for sure those super star anymore.

Speaking of that, are we sure Dirk and Nash werent taking "Ecstasy" that night and "drink and drive" after that? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

[kg_veteran]

I know that he did not commit a crime, he did not assault anyone.

I wouldn't be so certain, Vanessa. You probably didn't think he slept with her either.

[MavsFanFinley]

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Text of a statement released Friday on behalf of Kobe Bryant through his attorneys, Harold A. Haddon and Pamela Robillard Mackey, and his agent Rob Pelinka, after the Los Angeles Lakers star was charged with sexual assault in Colorado:

I am innocent of the charges filed today. I did not assault the woman who is accusing me. I made the mistake of adultery. I have to answer to my wife and my God for my actions that night and I pray that both will forgive me.

Nothing that happened June 30th was against the will of the woman who now falsely accuses me.

These false allegations have hurt my family. I will fight against these allegations with all my strength.

My wife is the strongest person I know. She is willing to stand by me despite my mistake. That means everything to me.

I have so much to live for. And by that I do not mean the contracts, or the money, or the fame. I mean my family. I will fight for them.

I appreciate all those who have supported me. Thank you for believing in me. My family and I are going to need your support and prayers now more than ever.

[Mavs_Rule2003]

Man he still sounds so nice saying those words! you just never know people with nice looks has that much bullsh*t in his mind.

[TripleDipping]

Nothing shocking here, every wife in the limelight would say the same thing. I remember Patterson's wife said the same thing when he was in trouble. You don't expect to hear Vanessa saying "Man, I really don't know. He might or might not have done it but I'm pissed at him right now that's for sure."

[MavsFanFinley]

NEW YORK (AP)

Text of a statement released Friday by NBA commissioner David Stern after Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault in Colorado:

As with all allegations of a criminal nature, the NBA's policy is to await the outcome of a judicial proceeding before taking any action. We do not anticipate making further comments during the pendency of the judicial process.

[WayOutWest]

So I guess Kobe is really trying to be like MJ (cheating on wife).
Just like MJ was trying to be like Dr. J.

Kobe ef'ed up, no doubt.

It's odd that the police are refusing to turn over reports of TWO PRIOR incidents involving this SAME household.

Cops have had to file three other reports for calls from this home and they have stated while the reports are unrelated to this INVESTIGATION, they could cause irreperable damage to the case and the victim.

Just makes me wonder if she's tried to pull this on some other celeb who couldn't keep it in his pants.


Here's the story:

http://www.vaildaily.com/apps/pbcs..../NEWS/307170102

July 17, 2003

Open records battle waged in court

Randy Wyrick

The towns of Eagle and Vail are shielding public information and they have no legal right to do it, an attorney for the Vail Daily said in a hearing Thursday before Judge Richard Hart.

Attorney Rohn Robbins argued that Eagle and Vail are shielding records that should remain public, under state law. The Vail Daily asked for dispatch records to the address of the woman accusing Los Angeles Laker guard Kobe Bryant of sexual assault.

Robbins asserted Eagle and Vail were overstepping their legal bounds by sealing the records, and that the records were administrative, not part of a criminal proceeding.

Town of Eagle Attorney Ed Sands argued that the records were part of the criminal investigation, and that releasing them would damage the investigation and the alleged victim.

As he was making his arguments, Sands presented a sealed envelope to Hart that he said contained three reports regarding two incidents.

"They're sealed because they have nothing to do with the investigation, but it would do irreparable harm if the documents were revealed," Sands told reporters after the hearing. "They are of a highly sensitive nature. You would understand if the documents were revealed."

That, countered Robbins, is not the law. He said the burden is on the custodian of the records, in this case Eagle and Vail, to explain why the public cannot have access to the records. He said the public should not need to explain why it should have access.

Sands said the Eagle Police Department was not attempting to cover anything up. He said acting Police Chief Gary Ward acted properly when he exercised his jurisdiction in not providing the records.

Sands said Bryant and his attorney will have access to the records in due process.

"Defense attorneys may get everything; the public and press might not," Sands told reporters.

In his closing, Robbins countered that freedom of speech and freedom of the press is not just a large issue, it is THE issue.

No decision was handed down by Judge Richard Hart. Attorneys have until Tuesday to file additional briefs, and until next Friday to answer those briefs.

Daily Managing Editor Don Rogers said the paper sought the records while tracking leads about the case that may or may not prove relevant.

He said the paper would not automatically rush to print the information if it were turned over. Instead the paper would evaluate the reports for their possible connection to the case and whether they fit coverage of the case, he said, as it does with all leads.

"I have a lot of respect for Eagle and Vail's government officials, and I understand their position," Rogers said. "But I don't think they should also serve as editors when the information we seek generally is readily available to the public and they've decided it has no relationship to the specific investigation."

[DNNF]

This is bullsh*t. She probably slept with Kobe. Afterward, she got mad since she know nothing else could go on between them two, or Kobe saying word of "one night stand".

All you know after that, a sexual assault is filed.

This is NBA players 's life. Kobe is kinda stupid since he didn't bribed her like Jordan did.

[veruca salt]

Originally posted by: DNNF


This is NBA players 's life. Kobe is kinda stupid since he didn't bribed her like Jordan did.

Yes...and if he did rape her, this is a young girls life we're talking about.
Kobe's life isn't worth more just because he's famous.

KG I agree with your statement about his wife's statement. Exactly, obviously she doens't
really know him very well!

[MavKikiNYC]

Really difficult for me to summon any sympathy for Kobe in this situation. Given that he's acknowledging being an adulterer, I would have to wonder what the odds were that this was the first time. I'd advise the wife to retain a shark-toothed divorce attorney, take the wife/child's cut of his earnings, and pursue happiness elsewhere, without him.


What an idiot. He has it all, and yet he wants MORE. It's going to cost him--incalculably in terms of his relationship with his wife; incalculably in terms of public image; more calculably but less importantly in terms of endorsement$.

What a selfish, egotistical, self-centered, me-first sumbitch. Unfortunately some of the same attributes that make him a great performer, make him an a$$ of a hu$band.

Is an adulterer also a rapist? Not necessarily, but Kobe's credibility is pretty much in a free-fall. And the question never even had to arise.

F'em.

[dude1394]

Innocent until proven guilty. I am sure however that the sprite commercials are gone.

[MavKikiNYC]

He's acknowledging the adultery, Dude.

Beyond that, innocent until proven guilty.

[Drbio]

Originally posted by: WayOutWest
So I guess Kobe is really trying to be like MJ (cheating on wife).
Just like MJ was trying to be like Dr. J.

Kobe ef'ed up, no doubt.

It's odd that the police are refusing to turn over reports of TWO PRIOR incidents involving this SAME household.

Cops have had to file three other reports for calls from this home and they have stated while the reports are unrelated to this INVESTIGATION, they could cause irreperable damage to the case and the victim.

Just makes me wonder if she's tried to pull this on some other celeb who couldn't keep it in his pants.


Here's the story:

http://www.vaildaily.com/apps/pbcs..../NEWS/307170102

July 17, 2003

Open records battle waged in court

Randy Wyrick

The towns of Eagle and Vail are shielding public information and they have no legal right to do it, an attorney for the Vail Daily said in a hearing Thursday before Judge Richard Hart.

Attorney Rohn Robbins argued that Eagle and Vail are shielding records that should remain public, under state law. The Vail Daily asked for dispatch records to the address of the woman accusing Los Angeles Laker guard Kobe Bryant of sexual assault.

Robbins asserted Eagle and Vail were overstepping their legal bounds by sealing the records, and that the records were administrative, not part of a criminal proceeding.

Town of Eagle Attorney Ed Sands argued that the records were part of the criminal investigation, and that releasing them would damage the investigation and the alleged victim.

As he was making his arguments, Sands presented a sealed envelope to Hart that he said contained three reports regarding two incidents.

"They're sealed because they have nothing to do with the investigation, but it would do irreparable harm if the documents were revealed," Sands told reporters after the hearing. "They are of a highly sensitive nature. You would understand if the documents were revealed."

That, countered Robbins, is not the law. He said the burden is on the custodian of the records, in this case Eagle and Vail, to explain why the public cannot have access to the records. He said the public should not need to explain why it should have access.

Sands said the Eagle Police Department was not attempting to cover anything up. He said acting Police Chief Gary Ward acted properly when he exercised his jurisdiction in not providing the records.

Sands said Bryant and his attorney will have access to the records in due process.

"Defense attorneys may get everything; the public and press might not," Sands told reporters.

In his closing, Robbins countered that freedom of speech and freedom of the press is not just a large issue, it is THE issue.

No decision was handed down by Judge Richard Hart. Attorneys have until Tuesday to file additional briefs, and until next Friday to answer those briefs.

Daily Managing Editor Don Rogers said the paper sought the records while tracking leads about the case that may or may not prove relevant.

He said the paper would not automatically rush to print the information if it were turned over. Instead the paper would evaluate the reports for their possible connection to the case and whether they fit coverage of the case, he said, as it does with all leads.

"I have a lot of respect for Eagle and Vail's government officials, and I understand their position," Rogers said. "But I don't think they should also serve as editors when the information we seek generally is readily available to the public and they've decided it has no relationship to the specific investigation."

Oh come on. The police department/DA office are trying to protect an <u>alleged</u> sexual assault victim. This is standard procedure and nothing more. It happens like this all the time. Don't read anything into this. It is probably a situation where the reports clearly identify the young lady and contain personal info about her residence, etc...whatever.

[Drbio]

Originally posted by: dude1394
Innocent until proven guilty. I am sure however that the sprite commercials are gone.

Yep. Image is a bitch. Or was it everything?

[MavKikiNYC]

Do the charges tarnish Kobe's image?

58% Yes, the damage is done 170,644
31% Only if he's convicted 90,324
11% No, he's still a superstar 33,019
Total votes: 293,987

[one long blue sock]

Mods, can we just make 1 thread about Kobe getting convicted.

[veruca salt]

sorry, i hit the quick reply instead of the 'around the nba'

[WayOutWest]

My opinion of Kobe as a player hasn't changed.

My opinion of Kobe as a person hasn't chagned (always thought he was just a man).

My opinion of Kobe as a role model has definately changed. No longer is he in the class of Duncan, Robinson, Smith and Mourning. Now he's in the same class as MJ, Dr. J and Iverson. Not a criminal, at least not yet, but lacking in the high morals his persona used to convey. Watching Kobe in the press conference all I could think about is about those TV evangelist who are so sorry and sencere AFTER they get coaught.

I find it odd that people keep making the statement about him "having it all" and blowing it. That's stupid. Wether you're a pro-athlete or a common laborer, losing the trust and respect of your family is pretty much losing it all for any person with a heart. He's already blown it alot worse NOW than what the future brings.

[one long blue sock]

oooooooooooooooooooh, i beg to differ.

10 to 32 years in prison is alot worse then losing the trust from your family.

[MavKikiNYC]

I find it odd that people keep making the statement about him "having it all" and blowing it. That's stupid. Wether you're a pro-athlete or a common laborer, losing the trust and respect of your family is pretty much losing it all for any person with a heart. He's already blown it alot worse NOW than what the future brings.

I think that's what people are talking about, WOW--he had a wife, a new daughter, parents who had given him every opportunity to be a star, both genetically and materially; and a great life--professional success, public admiration, incredible material success.

It's not so much that he 'blew it all' either, because he can probably still enjoy a level of material success beyond what the average person ever dreams of. And more likely than not, he'll be back on the court performing more or less like before. Public admiration may be pretty much gone.

And regardless of what his wife says now, that relationship will never be the same.

The issue for some at least, isn't that he had it all and blew it, but that he had it all and wanted more.

Kobe may have a heart, but it's becoming clearer and clearer that he himself is #1 in his own heart.

[Nash13]

There's probably no person on this board that dislikes Kobe as much as i do, but i actually believe him.

Some of you Lawyers on the board know how the system works, i want to know your opinions.

[MavKikiNYC]

So what all do you believe, Nash?

That he was in Vail for a knee surgery about which he hadn't informed his employer? Odd how this issue is getting so little play. Anybody have any information or persepctive on whether this would put him in breach of contract with the Lakers?

That he had a disposable sexual encounter with a 19-year old hotel employee, while his wife was back in LA with their child? (He's acknowledged this part so, I believe him too.)

That the 19-year old hotel employee was completely agreeable to whatever Bryant wanted to do, and that he didn't use any degree of coercion or force? This one is likely to be the multi-million dollar question.

[OutletPass]

Originally posted by DNNF:

This is bullsh*t. She probably slept with Kobe. Afterward, she got mad since she know nothing else could go on between them two, or Kobe saying word of "one night stand".

Ok, anyone who was with them in that room, please hold up your hands.

These type of posts from BOTH sides are giving me the creeps.

Nobody knows what happened. Let the legal system and the evidence sort it out...

Sheesh.

[MavKikiNYC]

SPORTS OF THE TIMES
Young, Gifted and Dancing to Siren's Song
By SELENA ROBERTS


SOON the 14 teenagers selected in last month's N.B.A. draft will be lectured in league seminars about temptation and traps, restraint and repercussions.

But who among those about to enter the most immature of big-time pro leagues — where arrested development can be disguised by a meticulously polished image — will resist the siren's song of instant access.

In essence, this is when urgent gratification meets entitlement to form an immediacy for a player to indulge, when an internal "Hot Now" sign &agrave; la Krispy Kreme cues a craving for sugar.

All a player has to do is pick up a phone — or, more likely, to have his buddy dial it for him — to order up a little excitement on the road. What lovely lady would turn down a date with levitating greatness; what starry-eyed woman wouldn't line up for a chance to "Love It Live," as the N.B.A. slogan goes.

"Everyone looks available to them," an Eastern Conference general manager once said on the topic. "All it takes is one error in judgment. They're warned, but do they listen?"

With their teenage attention spans as fragile as gum bubbles, do they retain anything?

Just a few years ago, the Lakers' worldly, multilingual Jordan facsimile, Kobe Bryant, sat through the league's rookie indoctrination. Was he doodling?

Whatever occurred between Bryant and a 19-year old woman from Colorado on June 30 — whether it was rape or consensual sex — he is the one who put his career, team, family and image on the line by placing his libido ahead of the risk.

•
If Bryant had been savvier, he would have discovered what several N.B.A. veterans have said privately over the years: a professional stripper has no strings attached; a relative stranger is the greater danger. In other words, pay up front, not later.

"I did not assault the woman who is accusing me," Bryant said in a statement yesterday. "I made the mistake of adultery."

As if to underscore their marital commitment — or to jump-start the character reparation necessary for Bryant's lucrative life as a product endorser — his wife released a statement almost simultaneously.

"I know that my husband has made a mistake, the mistake of adultery," Vanessa Bryant stated. "He and I will have to deal with that within our marriage and we will do so. He is not a criminal."

But Bryant gave life to that suspicion by taking a dangerous dip in the kind of summertime irresponsibility that has become epidemic for the N.B.A. Along with Bryant, the names of Damon Stoudamire, Darrell Armstrong and Jerry Stackhouse have popped up in police reports since season's end.

This is what happens without a chaperon. Teams hire security officers, some of whom have been known to shadow players in bars, hotel lobbies and restaurants. If a scene looks unsavory, if fans are getting too close, if a known groupie is becoming too friendly, a good security man will usher a player away.

Often, though, a player's personal bodyguard is a chubby pal from the sixth grade who has little more than arm folding and sneering listed on his r&eacute;sum&eacute;. Remember, Bryant's bodyguard was with him in Colorado. (Note to Bryant: fire bodyguard.)

Protecting players from themselves is for professionals. A Cleveland Cavaliers official said yesterday that the team was planning to hire a security officer to watch over LeBron James during the preseason. He is already playing in summer-league games, and fans have hidden under cars only to jump out in front of him when the Cavs' team van rolls into a parking lot.

Fans will find their way into a hotel room, too, if no one is watching.

• Players should be their own keepers — and many are heedful of all the warnings posted on the welcome mat — but when they skip college and stroll into the league from high school, the temptation is to stop taking notes.

Bryant ignored the lesson. Now he will have to pay his elite Colorado law team, of John and Patsy Ramsey fame, to outmaneuver Mark Hurlbert, the young district attorney from the slow-drip Colorado county of Eagle. Now he faces a Class 3 felony sexual assault charge that carries a possible prison sentence of four years to life if he is convicted.

As he stood outside a courthouse for a news conference yesterday, Hurlbert said that after reviewing the evidence, "I can prove this case beyond reasonable doubt."

Bryant's future rests on Hurlbert's failing.

"I have so much to live for," Bryant said in his statement. "And by that I do not mean the contracts, or the money, or the fame. I mean my family. I will fight for them."

So strong now, but so weak when it counted.

[DNNF]

Originally posted by: OutletPass
Originally posted by DNNF:

Ok, anyone who was with them in that room, please hold up your hands.

These type of posts from BOTH sides are giving me the creeps.

Nobody knows what happened. Let the legal system and the evidence sort it out...

Sheesh.

It's just an opinion dude.

[MavKikiNYC]

Trojan or Lifestyles maybe.

Will Bryant still be pitching products?
Some think Laker will lose endorsement deals, regardless of outcome


07/19/2003

By RICHARD ALM / The Dallas Morning News

A sexual assault charge could put an end to Kobe Bryant's endorsement deals – even if he's found innocent.

Robert Tuchman, president of TSE Sports and Entertainment, said Friday that the Los Angles Lakers star might lose lucrative deals with Nike Inc., McDonald's Corp., Coca-Cola Co.'s Sprite brand and others.

"Kobe worked so hard to keep his image spotless, and now he will be seen in a different light," Tuchman said. "If he was seen as a 'bad boy' prior to this, it would be one thing, but his image was so sterile, even boring, so this unravels everything."

Bryant was charged Friday with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old hotel concierge at a Colorado resort. Although details of Bryant's endorsement contracts aren't public, many such contracts contain so-called morals clauses that allow companies to cancel them if an athlete steps out of line.

All told, Bryant earns about $20 million a year pitching products. Just last month, he signed a five-year deal with Nike reportedly worth at least $40 million.

Nike officials couldn't be reached for comment.

Ronn Torossian, president of 5W Public Relations, doubts Bryant will ever again appear in a major commercial.

"Kobe had his spotlight run as a marketer, but he is now going the way of Mike Tyson, Dennis Rodman and others," he said. "Maybe some renegade company would be crazy enough, but his days of Sprite, Nike and McDonald's are long over."

Torossian said Bryant is probably finished, even if he's found innocent.

"Yes, there is a concept of innocent until proven guilty, but that's in the court of law – not in the court of endorsements," he said.

[Murphy3]

are the records "public" in colorado when involving a sexual assault case? For some reason, I was thinking that they were not public in order to protect the alleged victim.

[Chiwas]

Big-foot columnists weigh in on Kobe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESPN.com


"I made the mistake of adultery. I have to answer to my wife and my God for my actions that night and I pray that both will forgive me. Nothing that happened June 30th was against the will of the woman who now falsely accuses me."
-- Kobe Bryant in a prepared statement Friday afternoon.

"How big a news story is this? Well, considering 'adultery' and 'false witness' are both in the Ten Commandments, you might call it a story of biblical proportions."
-- Mitch Albom in the Detroit Free-Press Saturday morning.

Well, perhaps not biblical, but the announcement Friday that Kobe Bryant is being charged with felony sexual assault certainly brought forth an extraordinary flood of newspaper commentary for a Saturday morning. In normal times, the heavyweight columnists wait until Sunday to pontificate.

Some excerpts:

"Last week Bryant told the Los Angeles Times, 'You know me. You know I'd never do anything like that.' And we want to believe him, because to our knowledge Kobe Bryant hasn't ever done anything like that. He hasn't done anything more scandalous than occasionally take too many shots and not get Shaq enough shots. Kobe is just about the most likable young man in the NBA."
-- Tony Kornheiser / Washington Post

"We don't know Kobe Bryant. He can call us back, but we don't know him. He can give us neater sound bites than Ronald Reagan, but we don't know him. He can participate in Read-to-Achieve and he can sell us space-age basketball shoes and he can look stricken on a Friday afternoon podium, his fingers entwined with those of wife Vanessa, but we have no idea who Kobe Bryant is."
-- Mark Whicker / Orange County Register

"The Kobe Bryant I'm acquainted with wouldn't kick a dog, much less rape a woman. The Kobe Bryant I know glows when he talks about his wife, takes seriously his responsibility as a role model, rubs people the right way and is straighter than the free throw line. Which just goes to show how much I know."
-- Karen Crouse / Palm Beach Post

"Fact is, even in the face of the accusation by the young woman that he assaulted her last month, most people want Bryant to be the Bryant into which they invested all their hero worship. They don't want him to be guilty, because that would remind them that we don't know athletes any more than we know politicians, actors or the new auto mechanic in town."
-- Ray Ratto / San Francisco Chronicle

"Bryant became a national favorite with a combination of good looks and spectacular basketball ability, and you probably have to make him a favorite in Eagle County, too. The Kobe defense team already includes Hal Haddon, who represented John and Patsy Ramsey, and Pamela Mackey, who represented Patrick Roy. You half expect to see Johnnie Cochran at the defense table, too, fresh from his win for Pete Rose in ESPN moot court."
-- Dave Krieger / Rocky Mountain News

"Whatever answering Bryant has already done with his wife must have been enough for him to get a date with her Wednesday night. The camera moved through the ESPY Awards audience and there was the smiling Kobe Bryant and there was the smiling Mrs. Bryant next to him. And trust me, this was no accident, even though Bryant and his attorneys had to have some idea by Wednesday that these charges were coming. This was about public relations, and show, Wednesday night."
-- Mike Lupica / New York Daily News

"His new image is framed by a mug shot. His future home could be a prison. His once-golden life already has become a distant memory. No, the Class 3 felony sexual assault can be wrapped in the legal language of the state penal code, massaged and manipulated by defense lawyers and loyal friends and family members, but the outcome is already inscribed in big, bold, black and white letters: the All-Star guard with the impeccable persona and million-dollar endorsements is a flawed human being at best, a criminal at worst."
-- Ailene Voisin / Sacramento Bee

"All we can say is that 'no' is supposed to mean 'no,' and any man who forces himself on a woman after she tells him 'no' is no longer just plain stupid. He is a criminal. A man must be very certain that what takes place between himself and a woman is consensual. Explaining yourself to a wife or Significant Other is hard enough, but explaining yourself to someone such as [Eagle County DA] Mark Hurlbert is something else."
-- Bob Ryan / Boston Globe

"Whatever occurred between Bryant and a 19-year old woman from Colorado on June 30 -- whether it was rape or consensual sex -- he is the one who put his career, team, family and image on the line by placing his libido ahead of the risk. If Bryant had been savvier, he would have discovered what several NBA veterans have said privately over the years: a professional stripper has no strings attached; a relative stranger is the greater danger. In other words, pay up front, not later."
-- Selena Roberts / New York Times

"So I'm going to be dead honest here. I was uncomfortable with the packaging by Team Kobe on Friday. It was too neat. It was too tidy. It was too prepared."
-- Jeff Jacobs / Hartford Courant

"Turning to Vanessa, he said, 'You're a blessing. You're a piece of my heart. You're the strongest person I know. I'm so sorry for having to put you through this.' While it sounded like a Hallmark card, it more closely resembled a life preserver."
-- Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times

[Evilmav2]

For any and all interested, here is a link to their new Lakersground.net exclusive "State of Colorado vs. Kobe Bryant forum".

State of Colorado vs. Kobe Bryant

[Drbio]

interesting site. Thanks Evil!




but make sure to bring your rose colored glasses.

[Chiwas]

That forum will hang the girl in the next posts, for raping Kobe.

[Nash13]

If it means anything, i was recently told that the 19 year old girl attempted suicide about 2 months ago.