Say it ain't so: Kobe Bryant arrested for felony sexual assault? (1 Viewer)

[Kirk Tsai]

Do we dare ask what you think of Iverson?

 

[Robert Crawford]

If you hate professional sports and their stars then stop participating in threads such as this one with your negative comments. Your posts in such threads are becoming old and tired for people that enjoy sports and their stars.




Crawdaddy

 

[Tom-G]

OK so Kobe is guilty because athletes, rock stars, actors, etc have a rep of womanizing?

Please go back and re-read my post. I never implied that so don't put words in my mouth.

Since I have to spell it out for you, the point of my post is to say that I would not be surprised IF he is guilty.

Let's wait and see what happens before assuming guilt.

 

[felix_suwarno]

i mistakenly think kobe tai instead of bryant. jeeesh.

 

[Carl Johnson]

I looked up sexual assault and it could literally be anything from rape to copping a feel.

 

[Doug R]

Amen Robert.

 

[Christopher P]

Looks like Bryant will be charged

Not too many other details though yet.

Chris

 

[Danny Tse]

He's been charged.

 

[Carlo_M]

Ayup. Now it's time to let the justice system do its thing. Hopefully everyone involved will get a fair trial and the truth will come to light. (I know how naive that sounds but hey, I can still dream)

 

[Robert_Z]

Oh boy. I've got some thoughts on this.

First and foremost, if it is proven that this young woman is making a false accusation, she should face the same punishment as Kobe is facing, 4 years to life. What she is doing, if Kobe is innocent, is ruining his career, possibly his life. She must be punished severely.

This reminds me of the Michael Irvin/Erik Williams fiasco a few years ago in Dallas. The woman made an accusation. The players were slammed by the press. Oh by the way, she admitted to making the whole thing up, and got away with no more than a slap on the hand. That is crap.

She should have done time. There is so much power behind an accusation. Face it, if this thing goes all the way to trial, it will come down to he said she said. How would any of you guys like to be falsely accuse of assault and leave it up to 12 jurors to decide if she acted well enough on the stand to put you away, possibly for the rest of your life. Your career is ruined, your life is over, your family is shamed. All because some woman lied, and in this case, because some American Idol reject was determined to get her 15 minutes.

I have other thoughts I will get to later.

 

[RobertR]

I also want to wait and see what facts come to light. I want to see truth served, and just as important, I want to see justice served.

 

[Joseph S]

First and foremost, if it is proven that this young woman is making a false accusation, she should face the same punishment as Kobe is facing, 4 years to life. What she is doing, if Kobe is innocent, is ruining his career, possibly his life. She must be punished severely.

If Kobe is found not guilty, it doesn't mean she made it up and thus to suggest she should face 4 years to life is just silly. Honestly, Kobe just lost out on $50 million for not being like James so she might have enhanced his marketability to Nike at least in either case. Kobe apparently cheated on his wife, I'd worry more about her and their child than Kobe.

 

[RobertR]

What a sad commentary on certain aspects of popular culture that being associated with criminal behavior increases one's marketability.

 

[Patrick_S]

Face it, it this thing goes all the way to trial, it will come down to he said she said.

These type of cases are total crap shoots. Who knows whom the jury is going to believe, the rich and privileged athlete or the innocent victim?

That's why I can see some guys who are innocent decide to plead to a lesser charge to avoid the possibility of a guilty verdict to the more sever charges.

 

[Patrick_S]

If Kobe is found not guilty, it doesn't mean she made it up and thus to suggest she should face 4 years to life is just silly.

Interestingly if he is found guilty it also doesn't mean she was telling the truth. I would agree that unless they were able to prove she made the whole thing up, which is almost impossible in cases like this, there is no way she should face jail time.

The sad thing is that in cases like this when it comes down to one person's word against another there is no ultimate lie detector that can tell us which one is telling the truth.

 

[Brian Perry]

Karl Malone and Gary Payton must be scratching their heads for taking millions less...

Seriously though, Bryant is in deep trouble. He has basically been charged with rape. The reasons I believe he stands a good chance of conviction are:

1. I assume he offered millions to the woman to drop the charges. That she is going through with it anyway suggests to me that she and/or her family feel strong enough about what happened to pursue a lengthy and potentially embarrassing (for everyone) trial.
2. The prosecutor was very careful in making sure he had testimonial and physical evidence to bring a felony charge. I assume that means he has evidence of abrasions, scratches, bruises, etc. that would not be indicative of consensual sex. And I doubt Kobe would try to use a "she wanted rough sex" defense. That probably wouldn't go over with a Colorado jury.
3. Colorado has rape shield laws that prevent the defense from attacking the character of the accuser. They cannot bring up any prior boyfriends or things of that nature. While I don't know the exact limitations, I think they will make the defense's job much tougher.

As others have mentioned, if it were somehow proven that the woman is just out to get Kobe (say, hypothetically there was a videotape in the room showing his complete innocence), I agree with the notion that her punishment should be comparable to what he faces. But that's only if it were proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, not simply if he is acquitted.

 

[Patrick_S]

I assume he offered millions to the woman to drop the charges. That she is going through with it anyway suggests to me that she and/or her family feel strong enough about what happened to pursue a lengthy and potentially embarrassing (for everyone) trial.

Of course one could just as easily assume that he offered her nothing. At this point it’s anyone’s guess.

 

[Robert_Z]

I like how the DA said something to the effect that he will "treat this like any other case." So I guess he holds press conferences like this every time someone within his jurisdiction is charged with sexual assault.

If Kobe is guilty (regardless of whether he is convicted), then what a moron. Maybe he developed a God complex, being such a high-profile athlete.

If this goes to trial, do you think it will fascinate America as much as the OJ trial? I know a sexual assault is nothing compared to a double murder, but the Juice was already a has-been, working as a sideline reporter. Kobe is the showcase player of the NBA, a three-time champion whose best days are presumably ahead of him.

I was listening to talk radio, and the host was saying how if this goes to trial, men and women across America are going to be totally split on the issue, with men taking Kobe's side, and women siding with the Colorado girl. Yes, I can see this causing some HEATED arguments by the water cooler.

 

[Chris Farmer]

And then on top of this, Gary Payton was charged with another count of assault in Toronto. The Lakers life just got a lot harder.

As for the charges, I don't know what to think. I honestly don't It could be an attention grab and the DA just wants to make headlines by chargin gKobe, on the other hand I'd be scared of pressing charges like this unless I had some hard evidence to back them up. I don't know.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Well, the only thing at the press conference (with his wife holding his hand and by his side) that Kobe would admit to is adultery (meaning there was a sexual encounter, which his lawyer has described as one entered into by consenting adults). In the same press conference, Kobe proclaimed over and over that he was innocent of the felonious charge of sexual assault (a class 3 felony that comes with a prison sentence of 4 years to life if convicted). The trial probably won't start until 5-6 months from now, which may mean Kobe won't be playing for the Lakers as much if at all this coming season.

All in all, this is going to be a mess for Kobe, all because he exhibited really poor judgment in engaging in an adulterous affair in the first place.